Iz Moth
by Dlbn
Summary: Zim is an Irken Prince on the run from his home planet. Dib is a popular teenage human male. They form relationships inside "The Mask" and in Skool. Can they hold it all together? Or will their double lives coming crashing down? Full summary inside
1. Prologue

Dlbn: Dlbn here with another Invader Zim fic! Since my other fic was an abomination of all that is good in Invader Zim, I have decided to post a different story that I feel will be better than the last.

Because it can't be summed up in 255 characters (It took me about twenty minutes to come up with a half assed one)

Full Summary: "Zim is an Irken Prince on the run from his home planet. Dib Membrane is a popular teenage human male who loves hanging out in gay clubs. Enter The Mask, a club where the attendees wear a mask and a chip that alters their voices. When Dib just happens upon the club one day, he joins the club scene as "Moth". There he meets an irresistibly adorable teenage boy who goes by "Iz". The two of them start a relationship in the club. Outside the club, Dib has fallen for his classmate, Zim. Zim, unbeknownst to him, _is _Iz. Neither know the other's secret. Will it forever stay that way? Or are their double lives about to come crashing down?"

A teenage-sized form slipped through the crowded streets of the Capital, keeping silent and to the shadows. His mother's guards had been following him for about an hour. He had been caught, yet again, sneaking out of his third story bedroom window to go and sell his illegal items to commoners who had ordered things from him. It was never the rich who looked to get his stuff, but rather the poor commoners. He wouldn't sell his stuff for too much, though he did make quite a profit off of it. He looked back to see if he had lost them, but he hadn't. They probably wouldn't have been sent after him if his mother hadn't caught him making an illegal weapon silencer in his bedroom a week ago. Since then, she had discovered tens of thousands of illegal transactions for illegal items he had created. Zim was determined to continue with what he was doing, no matter what, but he knew there was only so long he could go before getting into real deep shit. Being the youngest prince of the Irken Empire, even if it _was_ through adoption and quite obvious that he could never be the Tallest, had its disadvantages. People thought that the sixteen year old was an easy target for any and all assassination attempts by other Empires, but by all means he wasn't. He'd practice with his illegal items in the corridors of the Palace basement, teaching himself how to fight. A couple people inched out of his way, barely avoiding getting run over by the boy.

"Sorry!" He called. He may have been on the run, but he was by no means rude.  
He knew there was no place safe for him on the planet. His mother's guards would surely find him; they knew all his hiding spaces. And if there was one or two places they didn't know, his older brothers, Red and Purple, were sure to know. They weren't his brothers, but adopted like he was by Tallest Miyuki and her husband, Taller Spork. However, they did have the same DNA donors, since they were twins, a rare occurrence on Irk. And tall, to top that off. Most people didn't know who their DNA donors were, so it was no surprise to Zim that he and his brothers were all in the dark about their origins. Zim himself had been living on the streets when Tallest Miyuki had spotted him huddling for warmth by a burning trash can. The older people he was with had scattered, but he was only about three and didn't know that people finding him like that wasn't good. She had taken him in, though, and called him her son. Red and Purple were about 13 at the time, being ten years older than him. Though they weren't really related, they were as close as biological siblings.

"Prince Zim!" A guard called. "Come back! You're not in trouble!"

Zim didn't fall for that. He reached a ship docking bay about ten minutes from his home and ducked behind the old Voot Runner that he had bought himself a few years ago. The guards ran past him and out of the docking bay, presumably thinking he had darted through to the other side, where the City Limits were. Zim leaned against his ship and caught his breath. His PAK extended a spider leg with a washcloth to wipe his face with. He took it and the spider leg retracted inside. Zim wiped his face and pressed a spot on his PAK, before putting the washcloth back inside.

"Hello, beautiful." Zim said to the ship. His mother had allowed him to go to the docking bay when ships were for sale a few years ago, and he had fallen in love with the ship. It was old, but it worked. He could make parts to fix it, legal parts which his mom agreed he could make, so he didn't have to spend much. He didn't need to go too far from the planet, considering he didn't have a license yet, so a ship that couldn't go more than two or three planets out was reasonable. Zim walked to the front and took his keys from his PAK. He hit the unlock button and the ship opened with a 'woosh'. He put his foot up on the small step to get inside and pushed himself up. He started up the ship and shut the cockpit. He leaned back and closed his eyes. He didn't know where he would go, but the music coming from the ship's speakers calmed his nerves. Maybe he was wasting gas, but it wasn't hard to fill a ship up. He heard a knock on the cockpit and opened one eye. A guard with forest green eyes was standing on the outside of the ship. He sighed and shut the ship off before pressing the release button for the cockpit.

"Found you." The guard said. "We know your ship, Zim, turning it on isn't a smart move."

Zim jumped out of the cockpit and landed on all fours on the ground next to the guard. "I know." He said. "But I love my ship. Are you going to bring me to the Palace now?" He hit the lock button on his keys before putting them in his PAK.

The guard nodded. "Your mother wishes to speak with you."

Zim hung his head and sighed. Caught again.

Dlbn: Short, I know, but I hope not to make any other chapters this short. There is definitely more to come. Reviews appreciated.

Dlbn


	2. Grounded!

Dlbn: Hey there again, everyone! Time for another update, just cause I can. Also, I've been having internet/laptop problems involving the internet and have been advised to stay off the internet for a little while. I figure I'll update before I go off. Not to mention that college starts again on Monday (YAY! I'm actually really excited.) and I will probably be busy with work. But enough excuses. I will try to update as much as I can. Now on with the story.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, Krill, and the club The Mask, though the last two aren't mentioned until later. Zim, Dib, Tallest Miyuki, Tallest Spork, Red, Purple, the Irken race, and the Skool children belong to Jhonen Vasquez. Praise him!

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The guard who had found him escorted Zim into his mother's throne room.

"Look, if you let me go, I can make it worth your while." Zim was arguing with the guard.

"Not interested, Zim." The guard said. "I have orders."

"Pft, orders." Zim said. "I can pay you double what mom pays you if you let me go."

"Nice try."

Zim groaned. "Please?"

"Zim, stop it, hon." His mother's voice told him. "That will be all."

The guard bowed and took off, Zim sticking his tongue at his back.

"Zim." His mother scolded.

Zim winced and turned around. "Yes, mother?" He asked.

"You snuck out again, didn't you?"

Zim's antennae flattened to the back of his head. "Sorry."

"Please, just don't do it again." She said. "Were you going to sell something you shouldn't be?"

"No."

"Come here." She beckoned him closer with one finger.

He sighed and walked over.

"Open your PAK."

"But mom!"

"Open."

Zim pressed the small release button on the underside of his PAK. It popped open and his mother turned him around before sifting through his PAK. He had hidden the thing he had made pretty well, he thought, but that didn't mean his mother wouldn't find it. Zim closed his eyes tight when he heard her say 'aha'. When she shut his PAK and turned him around, he looked at the floor.

"Zim, look at me." She ordered.

Zim looked up into his mother's frost purple eyes. She was disappointed in him.

"What is this?"

"It's a transport device." Zim said.

"What style is it?"

"Style 76 B."

"And why was it made illegal?"

"If someone stepped in it and it didn't register the bio-signature," A bio-signature was like DNA, but it was harder to replicate. "Then they could be obliterated."

"Then why, pray tell, did you create one?"

"To sell it."

"To who?"

"I don't ask for names."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, tell your customer that they're not getting their product. I hope they haven't paid you yet."

Zim shook his head. "I don't ask for payment until they get it."

"And you're grounded."

"What?" Zim stepped back. "For how long?"

"I'll discuss _that_ with your father. For now, you're not to leave the Palace without a guard or one of your brothers."

"But mom!"

"No buts." She shook her head, her curly antennae bouncing. "Now go on up to your room."

Zim sighed. "Yes, ma'am." He didn't argue and trudged out of the room, only to be met by the sight of his brothers sprawled out on the floor.

They must have been listening.

"Were you spying on me?" Zim asked.

Red shook his head. "No." He said. "We were waiting for you to get in trouble and leave so we could talk to mom."

"Yeah." Purple nodded. "Dad wants us to tell her where he went. So how long are you in trouble for?"

"Mom didn't say." Zim rolled his eyes. "I know you heard her."

"Yeah, we kind of did." Red chuckled. "Hope it's not too long. There's a party tonight we wanna go to. I know you'd like to go."

"You know what mom said. If you two are with me, I can go."

"She also said to go to your room." Purple chuckled. "I'd listen if I were you, squirt."

They both stood and went into the throne room. Zim sighed and headed up to his room.


	3. Enter Dib

Dlbn: Dlbn here with yet another installment of Iz Moth. I figured that I'd post another chapter since classes start tomorrow and I might not have a ton of free time to update, but I will try and keep a regular schedule with updating. (Cross fingers)

Nbld: Review Corner! Thank you to Isabella387, Lady Zahara (Both for reviews in chapter one. completely forgot to thank you last chapter! So sorry! ^^') and Invader Ang (Chapter 2) for reviewing!

Disclaimers: I own nothing but Krill (He's in the next chapter) and The Mask. The rest belongs to Jhonen Vasquez.

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Dib Membrane donned the navy mask he was required to wear inside of The Mask, a gay club on the other side of town from his home. All guests wore masks and voice amplifiers to hide their identity. Inside these walls, he wasn't the most popular teenage male in the high school he attended. He was just another gay male teen looking for a good time. The swirling lights and smog from smoke machines clouded his vision and made him smoke. Thankfully he had contacts, too, so he didn't need to wear his glasses under or over the mask. It would look kind of funny. The contacts changed his eyes from their natural honey brown to a dark blue color, to add to his disguise. People approached him and asked him to dance, which he did so as not to be rude, but he didn't see anyone interesting to leave with or hang with for a long time tonight. It was no surprise, since it was a Wednesday and the busiest days were the weekends, including Friday. After about an hour of partying, he excused himself from the older man he was dancing with to get a drink.

"What can I get for you, Moth?" The bartender asked, using Dib's codename. Everyone in The Mask had one.

"Just a root beer, please." Dib responded.

The bartender nodded, dispensed the drink into a cold glass, and handed it to him.

Dib took a sip from his drink with a 'thank you'.

"No one interesting? You always buy someone a drink."

"I had a bit of a rough day." Dib said. "School and all of that." Sometimes people forgot that he was only 16. "But no, no one really."

The bartender shrugged. "A lot of people are watching you, kid, open your eyes."

"I am." Dib nodded. "But I'm not finding anyone."

"Well, maybe that'll change by the end of the night."

Dib seriously doubted that.


	4. Krill

Dlbn: Dlbn here (Again!) with another update. Classes went smoothly today and the most I gotta do is observe cops whenever I see them, so I figured I'd update again while I have the time. This chapter is longer than the last, since I know it was so short. Enjoy!

Nbld: Review Corner! Thank you to InvaderAng, Nvad8rtak1, and Darkdagers for reviewing! Digital cookies for all! (Throws cookies)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, the Mask, and Krill (Yes, he finally appears!). Everything else belongs to the amazing Jhonen Vasquez: The contastantly-hair-color-changing god of comedy.

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That night, Zim and his brothers stood in the ballroom of the military training hall. Zim had wanted to become an Invader before he started with his illegal black-market wares, and had often been invited to parties like this by the staff of the Academy on the planet of Devastus. He was surprised his brothers had known about it before he did. He had thought they were going to bring him to another one of the gay clubs they tended to hang out and pick up guys in, considering his brothers were both openly bisexual, but this was fine. Zim liked when they went to the clubs, because it meant he could go, too, and have fun. There, people pretended he was just an ordinary guy or that they had no idea who he was, though he was sure they all really did. It was his time to let loose, and even get a few customers who needed something illegal. At military parties, however, no one ever asked him for anything, knowing who he was and also fearing the loss of their jobs if they participated in such activities. Here, girls flirted and flounced about him instead of guys, who kept their distance. Some guys eyed him as though they wanted to make a move but were unaware of his tendencies. Sure, he'd return some flirting with girls, but that was only because he didn't want to be rude to them. He was still gay through and through. Red and Purple would often ditch him at parties, but as long as they were in the vicinity, he guessed it wouldn't break his mother's wishes. A female soldier with hot pink eyes asked him to dance and he agreed, letting her lead him to the dance floor. He would dance a bit better than he was, but he only knew how to dance in the gay clubs, where it was okay to bump and grind against your dance partner without a second thought. Here, though, he couldn't go low to the ground or dance the provocative way he was sued to. He had to control his movements, only swaying and tapping his foot at most. Girls were so much harder to dance with, since doing a few of the wrong moves could show them up and get them angry. He had no reason to hold back with men. Once the song ended, Zim politely excused himself from the girl and walked to the balcony doors. He pushed them open and stepped out into the crisp Irken air. He shut them behind himself and walked to the balcony, leaning on the banister and taking a deep breath of crisp air. The wind blew his antennae and he held his face up to the moon. The light yellow, almost white, orb seemed to cheer him up. He heard the sliding doors open behind him and didn't turn.

"Oh, sorry. I thought I'd be alone out here." The male coming outside said.

"It's fine." Zim said without turning. "You can stay out here if you want."

"I…don't want to be a nuisance."

"You're not."

The man walked over to Zim and leaned backwards on the railing. "I'm Invader Krill, by the way." He said.

"Zim."

"I know." Krill smiled. "You're Tallest Miyuki and Taller Spork's son, right?"

Zim nodded. "You don't need to use titles." Zim said.

"I'd feel disrespectful."

Zim shrugged. He was used to people saying that. "Enjoying the party?"

"Yeah." Krill nodded. "But it's nice to get away every once and a while, you know? Enjoy some quiet time."

"Yeah. That's why I'm out here." Zim said. "I love the moonlight. The stars aren't bad, either."

Krill laughed. "Agreed." He turned. "See any constellations, tonight?"

"I see one of First Tallest Gork." Zim pointed to a set of stars next to the moon.

"Oh, yeah." He said. "I see a Voot Runner." He pointed.

"That's not stars."

"I'm aware."

Zim laughed. "I see." He said.

"Your laugh is adorable."

"Thank you." Zim responded. "You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were being pretty flirty, here."

"I am?" Krill's antennae arched. He chuckled. "I'd hoped you'd notice."

"Your laugh's cute, too."

"And if I didn't know any better, I'd say _you_ were flirting with _me._"

"Maybe I am." Zim pushed from the balcony and stood. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Krill's hand moved over to Zim's and rested on top of it. "Depends on what you'll let me do."

"I'm up for just about anything."

"Wanna get out of here? Go get something to eat, maybe?"

"Sure thing." Zim remembered his brothers. "Oh…I uh…can I rain check you on that? I'm grounded and I can't go anywhere without my brothers."

"I'll have you back before they even notice you're gone." Krill promised. "I swear I saw both of them leave with girls."

Zim turned and scanned the ballroom through the glass windows. His brothers, who were taller then everyone else and were sure to stick out, were nowhere to be found. "I guess they did." Zim turned back to Krill. "Alright, I guess it's a date, then."

"Works for me. I'll bring my ship around."

"I don't mind walking." Zim responded.

"Okay, then." Krill held out his hand and Zim grasped it in his.

They left together.

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Krill dropped Zim off at his house later that night, seeing how to party was canceled for some emergency drill. Zim pushed open the front door. Krill had given Zim his phone number, saying he'd be in town for another week or so. Zim intended to call him later the next day. For now, he was worried about his mother's response to him coming home with a guy. His father was sitting on the stairway in the palace lobby. He appeared to be waiting for Zim.

"H-Hey, dad." Zim said.

"Who was that?"

"A guy I met at the party." Zim responded.

"Why didn't you stay with your brothers?"

"I lost track of them." Zim said. "I wasn't going to go, but I didn't see them in the crowd."

"I know." Spork said. "They were here." He sighed. "Next time you go out partying, bring a guard."

"No one comes near me when I bring guards." Zim said. "It's like they're afraid the guards will attack them for coming close."

"They probably are." Spork chuckled. "So, how was your little date?"

"It wasn't a date, dad, it was just dinner." Zim shrugged.

"That doesn't answer my question, son."

"It was fine. He's only going to be in town for a couple of weeks. I'm gonna call him later."

"Oh?"

"On my cell phone, so you won't listen in." Zim rolled his eyes. "You never bother Red and Purple while _they're_ on the phone with girls."

"Because they're 26, Zim, I don't need to worry. And I _really_ don't need to worry about girls using them. Guys, on the other hand…well…you know how they are."

"Yeah, they don't play games." Zim rolled his eyes. "They don't go and mess around, considering that it's hard enough for gay males to find and get with someone."

"I suppose, though I don't know from experience."

"I wouldn't expect you to." Zim shook his head and smiled.

"So…is he cute?"

"Dad!" Zim flushed dark green.

The older Irken chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes."

Zim smiled softly. "A bit, yeah."

"Go on up to your room. You're grounded for two months, by the way."

Zim rolled his eyes. "Thanks for ruining my night, dad." Zim inched around his dad and made his way up the stairs.

"Sorry, son, but you ruined your night for yourself."

Zim looked down at his father, but Spork was already walking out of the lobby. Zim sighed and continued on up to his room.


	5. Further Punishment

Dlbn: Hey there everyone! Dlbn here with another dose of Iz Moth! Today is a special day. It's the first of September, which means….

TODAY IS THE BIRTHDAY OF THE ALIMIGHTY JHONEN VASQUEZ!

In case you are wondering, no I am not a stalker. I did an author presentation on Jhonen for my English class, he was apparently a valid author for JTHM and Squee, so I figured, "Why not"? So anyway, happy birthday to Jhonen. Please don't eat me. 0.0

Nbld: REVIEW CORNER! Thank you to InvaderAng and Darkdagers for reviewing! Plusshie Zims and Dibs for you both!

Disclaimer: I own The Mask and Krill. Everything else is property of Jhonen C. Vasquez. Happy birthday, Jhonen!

000

Dib opened the front door to his house, making sure his voice amplifier and mask were hidden deep in the zipped up pocket of his cargo pants. His father was sitting on the couch reading the paper, surprisingly. Since his mother had died 13 years ago, when he was 3, his father spent more time at work then he did with Dib and his sister. His father looked up and greeted him with a smile. "Late night project?" He questioned.

"Sort of." Dib shrugged one shoulder as he shut the door behind him. "We were all looking up our grades."

"Alright, then. Go on up to bed. It's late."

"Okay. Night dad."

"Night."

His sister was at the top of her stairs, arms folded over her chest. "Meet anyone cute?" She asked.

"Gaz!" He flushed. "No, it's Wednesday. There's no one there this time of the week."

"Sure thing." Gaz winked. "You'd be over at his house."

"You go to hotels when you get hits, Gaz, not their house." He shook his head. "I'm going to bed. You go to bed, too."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say." She said. "I'm going to go and get a drink of water. Night, bro."

"Night." Dib went into his bedroom once he heard her go down the stairs and slammed the door to get ready for bed.

000

Zim tinkered with a few sheets of metal at his desk in his room, making another black-market item. He wasn't about to disappoint his customer, who he had emailed and explained the delay to before the party, by not delivering what had been ordered a month before. He'd just make a new one and sneak out to one of his clubs to get it to the customer. He'd use a date with Krill as an excuse for his parents. Zim programmed his own Biosignature into the machine before putting a pencil on it and typing coordinates into it. The pencil teleported to his bed and he smiled before shutting it off. He dug through the bottom drawer in his desk to a secret compartment he had and placed the device inside, before replacing everything by just dumping it in. He pulled out more metal and a motherboard before shutting the drawer. He had another customer on deck for about a week. Needed a silencer for his weapon, a .55 laser. Zim started to fiddle with the motherboard to check it, when the door opened. It was probably Red or Purple, so he didn't check.

"I thought you got in trouble for doing this already." His mother's voice said.

Zim froze for a moment before looking up at her. "H-hi, mom." He greeted.

She groaned and took what he was working on. "More of this? Zim, you have to know better by now!" She said. "I'm extending your punishment. Three months, no less."

"Mom!"

"You did what I _specifically_ told you not to."

"You told me not to build the transporters." Zim responded.

"Do I have to extend this to four months?"

"No, ma'am." Zim said.

She nodded. "Three months, no exceptions."

"Okay, mom."

"So no dates with your friend, got it?"

"But mom, he's only here for another week!" Zim protested. "Can't I just hang with him a day before he has to leave?"

"No, son."

"But mom!"

"You heard me. Time for bed, it's late." She walked out of the room.

Zim sighed and shut off his light. He was sick of this! Why were some of these things illegal, anyway? It wasn't fair. There had to be _somewhere_ this stuff was legal. Maybe he _would_ take his ship and leave. But where to go? He'd be found anywhere. Wait a minute. He pulled his laptop out from under his bed and lay down, shutting off the light. The computer was already on, so he logged onto the internet and pulled up a government database that his mother had given him access codes to. He logged onto the site and clicked a few buttons to pull up a planet registrar. There were a total of 700 planets listed, but only a section of 9 were undocumented. He printed the coordinates and put them in his PAK for later use. For now, he'd stay until he could at least see Krill one more time. Snuggling under his black covers, Zim quickly fell asleep.

000

The next morning, Zim trudged downstairs to the kitchen. Krill was sitting at the counter with his father, chatting about military stuff. Zim froze in his spot. How had his dad found him?

"Oh, Zim, there you are." Spork said. "This is Krill."

"Hi, Zim." Krill greeted. "Sleep well?"

"Uh…yeah." Zim responded. "Thank you for…um…you know...dinner, and everything."

"Oh, no problem." Krill smiled.

"So _this_ is who dropped you off yesterday, huh?" Spork wondered.

"Don't act like you didn't know, dad."

Spork chuckled. "I'll be in the other room." He said, standing. "Nice to meet you, Krill."

"You, too, Sir."

"Don't stay out too late." Spork patted Zim on the shoulder as he left.

"But dad, I'm…"

He felt a hand wrap around his wrist and turned. Krill was behind him. "Your dad said that since I'm leaving, you and I could spend some time together before I go."

"Oh." Zim smiled. "Okay. Where to?"

"Ever been to the club in the Secondary Capital?"

"Secondary Capital?"

"You'll see." Krill grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of the room.


	6. Final Date

Dlbn: Hey, everyone! Dlbn here with another chapter! This seems a bit longer than the other chapters. Weird, since my computer/word says they are all the same length. whatever. Ignore my strange ramblings. :)

Nbld: Review Corner! Thank you to suckishLEMONADE, Moon Toy, Darkdagers, and Invader Ang for reviewing! Plushie Krill the shrimps for all!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, the Mask, and Krill. The rest belong to Jhonen C. Vasquez.

000

Dib yawned and stretched out underneath the desk in his second period English classroom. His friends sat around the room, all looking as bored as he felt. Gretchen, one of the girls he'd known since first grade, was watching him through half laded eyes and he smiled at her. He knew she liked him, but he didn't feel the same way. He didn't like women, a fact which only his sister was aware of. There was no one worthwhile in the school for him anyway, so it would stay secret until someone from The Mask offered to be his club boyfriend and, eventually, his lover. Lovers were club boyfriends who fell for one another and dated outside of the club. Keef, one of the few gay males in school who had come out of the closet, was also watching him. Unlike Gretchen, he didn't have a crush on the raven haired boy. Keef had guessed a few months ago that Dib was secretly gay, which he denied, and was always looking for reasons to prove him to be a liar. A couple other girls in his class, namely Zita and Sara, were watching him as well, doodling what he guessed were hearts and his name into their notebooks. Zita had been caught once in science class and the matter had been told in front of the entire class when she was scolded for it. Dib just flushed and waved shyly at her from his seat on the other side of the room. Torque, one of Dib's closest friends, had eventually gotten Zita to go out with him, but she still had feelings for Dib. Anyone with half a brain could see that. Though his friends were on the football team, he wasn't. He was, however, in the school Art club. He loved to draw. The bell rang, snapping Dib from his reverie. It was a Thursday, thankfully, so he only had one more day of school. And, to top it off, today was the last dame The Mask would be full of boring people. Sara tapped his shoulder and made him turn to her.

"Hi, Sara." He greeted.

"Hey, Dib." She smiled. "Um…listen…are you busy on Sunday?"

"No, why?" Dib leaned on his desk.

"Well, there's this club down the road that I wanted to try. You wanna go?"

"Sure. What time?" He hoped it wasn't at night.

"About 3?"

"Sure." He smiled. "That works for me."

"Okay." She smiled. "So I'll uh…see you in English tomorrow…?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye." He watched her go.  
"About damn time, man." Torque pat Dib on the back. "I was starting to believe Keef about you being gay."

"What?" Dib's eyes would have bugged out of his skull had he been a lizard.

"Just kidding, man, sheesh. I know you're not a…you know."

"Circle?"

"Yeah."

Dib rolled his eyes. That was no big deal. As long as they didn't use the 'f' term around him, he was fine. He claimed it was because he had a gay cousin that he didn't like the word and, out of respect, asked that people didn't use it near him. Torque removed his hand from Dib's shoulder.

"Come on." He said. "Don't want to be late for Keegan's class and be bitched at again, do we?"

"Definitely not." Dib shook his head.

The two of them, as well as the rest of Dib's clique, left laughing.

000

On the other side of the universe, Zim was laughing as well. The club Krill had brought him to was a bit flashier than what he was used to, put people didn't flirt with him as much, either knowing who he was or assuming that he and Krill were an item from the way they acted. Sure, they hung out, but they were nothing more than friends. Zim chuckled at Krill's story of the soldier in training who had shot his commanding officer in the foot on accident on his first day of training.

"How did he not see the man standing there?" Zim wondered.

Krill shrugged. "No idea, man." He said. "He must have been straight, though."

"How you figure?"

"They never have good aim."

Zim caught the sexual meaning in the sentence and flushed, but still laughed. "That's not very nice." He informed.

Krill shrugged as a waiter dropped off drinks at their table. Zim poured himself a small shot glass of the brown liquid courage, but he didn't drink it. He wasn't allowed to have alcohol, though the legal age _was_ 14, and wasn't used to the taste.

"You don't drink?" Krill asked, taking a swig from the bottle.

"I can't now." Zim looked point blank at the bottle.

Krill laughed. "I'm not germy." He said. "Don't worry about catching anything."

"I don't." Zim laughed. "Honestly, though, mom never let me have it, even at her 'victory parties'."

"Really?" Krill shrugged. "Just being cautious, I guess. No point in starting so young."

"How old were _you_ when you first had a drink?"

"17."

"Only a year difference." Zim waved it off with his hand.

"A year is still a year." Krill informed. "Lots of things happen. Like in a year, I won't be here."

The silence that filled their antennae was deafening. Zim scratched the back of his neck. "Which sucks." He said. "Too bad we didn't meet sooner."

"Yeah, I know." Krill said. "I usually don't go to those parties, but I figure that it was my last week here, so I'd might as well go to one of them."

"I'm glad you did." Zim said.

"I'm glad I did, too."

Zim flushed even darker.

"You're so cute when you blush." Krill reached across the table to cup Zim's cheek in his hand.

"Thanks." Zim put his hand on Krill's.

Krill leaned over the table and pressed a light kiss to Zim's lips, pulling away as quickly as he had leaned forward. "Was that okay?" He asked.

Zim nodded. "Yeah, fine." He responded. "Could have lasted a bit longer, though." Krill stood, pulling Zim with him. "I can make that happen, if you'd let me."

"I'm _considering_ it." Zim cocked a smirk.

Krill pulled him off to a more secluded section of the club and pulled his close. Zim wrapped his arms around Krill's neck and leaned in as their lips met, sending a spark through each of their bodies.

000

When Zim got home later that night, his mother was waiting in the foyer for him, pacing. The second she saw Zim, she stopped.

"And where were _you_?" She asked.

"I went out with a friend." Zim said. "Dad told me I could."

"Your father _told_ you, you could?"

"He said not to stay out late." Zim shrugged. "I figured he'd talked it over with you, first."

"No, he didn't. She sighed. "But Zim, you know better. You're grounded."

"Sorry." Zim rubbed the back of his neck. "I know I messed up, but…he has to leave for the station soon."

"Zim, you know what I said about that. You aren't allowed out."

"But I thought dad talked with _you_!" Zim folded his arms. "I'm not going to be able to see him after tomorrow, anyway, so can't it just start then?"

"No." she shook her head.

"But mom, that's so unfair!" Zim argued, throwing his arms in the air.

"Life isn't fair, kiddo, I'm sorry." She shook her head. "My word's final. Go on up to your room."

Zim groaned loudly before whispering "Sometimes I wish you hadn't saved me." He ran up the steps.


	7. Runaway Love

Dlbn: Hey there everyone! Time for another update of Iz Moth! And yes, I _did_ get the title of this chapter from a song. Digital Cookie if you know who it's by. ;) I was going to update yesterday, but I crashed at like 8 at night into my bed and slept until 9 this morning, so yeah…Oh! And Zim and Dib meet next chapter! One of my favorite scenes to write, personally. ;)

Nbld: Review Corner: Thank you to Moth Mask, Darkdagers, Invader Ang, and suckishLEMONADE for reviewing! Digital Zim-shaped cookies for all!

000

Dib pushed open the door to The Mask later that night. There were a few more people inside than the night before, but still no one fascinating. Dib adjusted his mask and checked his voice amplifier, thankful to find that both were working the way he wanted them to. He stepped around a couple making out by the front door and inched through the dance floor, partly dancing his way through the crowd. The bartender smiled at him.

"Scouting again, hey, Moth?" He asked.

"I feel like a drinker during the week." Dib sighed. "The usual."

The bartender passed over the brown drink. "Made it when I saw you step through the doors."

"Am I that predictable?" Dib took a seat on a stool.

"On weekdays." The bartender shrugged. He wiped down the bar counter with a less-than-clean rag. "On weekends, I don't know what to do with you."

"There's always a crowd on the weekends." Dib said. "I find better people come on the weekends. More stuff to do."

"Maybe someone will show up and you won't expect it." The bartender said. "Blonde teen, my 5 o'clock."

"Huh?"

"What can I get for you?" The bartender asked.

"Peach martini." A male voice from Dib's left answered. "Hey."

Dib looked over. "Hi." He smiled.

The guy next to him was a, obviously, bottled blonde and his eyes were a darker shade of honey than Dib's own. His mask was white.

"Keith." He said, offering his hand.

"Moth." Dib responded.

"Moth?" 'Keith' wondered.

"Have you ever heard of a movie called 'Moth Man'?" Dib asked.

"Oh, yeah. I watched it in science class once."

"It's my favorite movie." Dib flushed a bit. "That's kind of where I got it from."

"Oh, cool." Keith smiled. "You're pretty cute when you blush."

"Thanks." Dib laughed. "Come here often?"

"Yeah, whenever I can. You?"

And so, the usual conversation Dib held with people he met in gay clubs began.

000

Zim started up his ship as soon as the cockpit shut with an audible hiss. He had his laptop and a couple of suitcases in the storage part of the ship. For now, he'd just fly over to Krill's. He wasn't supposed to be leaving until the morning, but he had warned Zim that he may be called in earlier. Zim knew it was only a short term thing and he wasn't even considering Krill and him anything but a casual hookup until later, if there was a later. It wouldn't be a shock if Krill had to leave without saying goodbye. If that was the case, Zim would just go out to one of the unmarked planets he'd gotten the locations of from the government database. His mother wouldn't look for him there. His dad had told him it was okay, so why was _he_ being punished? It was his father who hadn't told his mother first. And besides, couldn't his mom understand how hard it was for him to find any gay guys who would _talk_ to him, let alone take him out to eat and kiss him? Zim's ship picked up in complete silence and flew over the City. Krill lived on the outskirts, but Zim's best customers were out there, so he knew where to go. Once Zim found the right address, he cloaked his Voot Runner and landed outside the house. He hopped out and shut the ship before walking to the door. Zim took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell. A ruby eyed Irken that wasn't Krill opened the door, smiling.

"Hello?" He asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Zim rubbed the back of his neck. "I think I've got the wrong address. I'm looking for Krill."

"No, you've got the right place, but the wrong time." The man said. "I'm Spleen, his roommate. He got called to the station about ten minutes ago, so he's long gone. I can give you the number to the base, if you want."

"Oh, no, I don't want to bother him." Zim responded. "If you talk to him, just tell him Zim stopped bye, please?"

"Sure thing, sir." Spleen nodded and smiled. "You want me to have him call you?"

"No, I'm gonna be outside the calling area for a while, so I won't get it." Zim responded, which wasn't a complete lie. "Just tell him I was here and good luck."

"Will do." Spleen confirmed. "You want to come in for a moment?"

"No, I really have to get going." Zim said. "Mission for mom. Gotta go pick up some stuff from Callnowia that's too large to ship."

"Where _is_ your ship? Or did you walk?"

"No, it's right there." Zim pointed and deactivated the cloaking device. "It's old, but it gets the job done."

"Yeah." Spleen laughed. "I'll let you be on your way, then. Good luck on Callnowia."

"Thank you." Zim held out a hand. "Nice to meet you."

"You, too." Spleen shook it. "Quite a handshake for someone so young."

"Young? I'm 16."

"I know." Spleen said. "That's young. Me and Krill are almost 30."

Zim's antennae fell. "You are?"

"I'm sorry." Spleen said. "How old did he tell you he was?"

"He didn't. But I didn't think he was. Neither of you guys look it."

"Thanks." Spleen smiled at the compliment. "Sorry, I didn't mean to drop the ball like that."

"It's fine." Zim said. "Thanks for all your help."

"No problem."

"Oh, and if anyone asks, you never saw me, oaky?"

"Uh…sure."

Zim left for his ship with a smile. When he heard the door shut behind him, he opened it and climber in before taking off.

000

The coordinates in the system were a bit outdated, Zim had to admit, but they got him there within the span of about three months. He had installed a teleporter into the ship that he had made as well as a system that took coordinates and used them in autopilot. Since the ship was old itself, it didn't have the autopilot, he had had to make and put one in himself in order to get anywhere that he wasn't familiar with. It had been easy, since he made stuff like that all the time, but if Galactic Systems pulled his ship over for any reason and detected the items, he'd have more trouble than just being grounded and not allowed out to see Krill. Zim sighed and looked out of the windshield. A blue and green planet was in front of him, standing out amongst the stars and black sky. Zim did a scan of the planet with another one of his illegal items and discovered that while the air was breathable, but there was water on the planet, a substance that Irkens were deeply allergic to. Zim shivered at the thought. He'd have to make some type of water-resistant product to survive. He'd pick another planet, but it was the only inhabited one. The files had said that a red one he had passed was inhabited, but the planet wasn't when Zim got to it. The files were _really_ outdated, considering that. Zim's scan of the planet in front of him showed that there were indeed life-forms, but it didn't say if any were sentient. Still, it was a risk he'd have to take. He cloaked himself before zooming down to the planet. The sky and atmosphere sped past him as he descended, hoping to the Irken gods that the cloaking device covered himself as well, unlike the one that had been installed on a military weapon called the Megadoomer. It was a chance he'd have to take for now. He ran a scan and camera set on the area to find beings that talked. Hopefully they spoke a language he understood. The camera would help him to decide which clothing styles to pick and what eyes and other accessories he needed to blend in. He wasn't an Invader, but he was pretty damn good at their job, if he did say so himself. Once Zim found a place that looked suitable enough for a house, and thanked the Irken gods that it was dark, he landed his ship. Zim stepped out of it and pulled out a sketch pad. He flipped through the pictures the camera had printed out when he landed. Some of them were of houses, so he slid them into the pad. Once a design came on the screen that he liked, Zim pressed a button on the side. The pad turned into a drill, which whirred to life before he dropped it into the ground. After a few minutes, a house was formed and Zim stepped inside. His Voot Runner had gone up into what appeared to be an attic, so it was well hidden from prying eyes. Not being an Invader, he didn't have a computer programmed into the house. He'd have to settle for doing things on his own and making his own security system.

"Well, this doesn't look too bad." Zim said to himself. "Not good enough to be an Invader yet, my ass." He snickered.

The walls were pale and the floor was hardwood. Zim took off his shoes and socks and felt the cold floor under his feet, a feeling he'd loved since he moved into Tallest Miyuki and Spork's palace. He sat on the dark couch against the back wall and flipped through the photos of people. They were a mix of skin tones, eye colors, and strange stuff coming from the top of their heads, which looked like multiple antenna. He sighed. Picking something out wouldn't be easy, but he had to do it if he wanted to survive on planet 456. Once satisfied, he pulled a watch from his pocket and fiddled with it. He couldn't put in the entire photos with parts that he liked, because the watch would take the entire photo and not the parts. Once satisfied, Zim snapped the watch on his left wrist. He hit a red button and was covered in a white light. Once the light was gone, his appearance had changed from an Irken to whatever the native species was. The antenna things were a deep chestnut brown, his eyes were a pale green and his skin was pale peach. His clothes, however stayed the ones he had worn to come over consisting of jeans and a dark t-shirt. Now all he needed was clothes and he'd be set. He stood and walked deeper into his new home to get a look around.


	8. Long Waited Meeting

Dlbn: Me here (again) with another chapter of Iz Moth! This chapter is longer than the others, according to my page count on word, but that's because I had some things that I felt went better together in the same chapter, so they needed to be put together. Anyways, I was gonna upload yesterday, but I was so tired after my outing with my friends and having drama with my parents about said friends, that I just crashed into bed early and didn't feel like getting online. So anyway, enough of my complaining. Enjoy chapter 8!

Nbld: Review Corner: Thank you to Darkdagers, suckishLEMONADE, ArcAngelCrystal, and invader Ang for reviewing! Digital cookies for all!

Dlbn: And before we go, one more thing: The song used for the chapter title in chapter 7 was "Runaway Love" by Ludacris. It's a great song, check it out if you don't know it. The whole running away thing reminds me of Zim, so yeah…anyway, onto the story!

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but Krill (Who we all now know is gone) and The Mask. All other characters are copyright of Jhonen C. Vasquez. If he were to read this stuff, I think he'd vomit. XD

000

Dib pushed open the door to the dark blue, two-story house his father owned. His sister had some after school video game club to go to, and he was sure his father was working as always, so he was alone. He went into the kitchen and made some microwavable pizza before sitting on the living room couch and flipping on the TV. The words 'Mysterious Mysteries of Strange Mystery' popped up on the large screen. Dib slouched into the couch and took a bite of his pizza. Though it was a pain, he liked being home alone if it meant he could delve into the paranormal without his father pestering him. Being a scientist, Professor Membrane didn't approve of anything that contradicted science. He called the paranormal 'pseudoscience" and had even dragged Dib to a few meetings on what to do about the new paranormal observatory that was being made. Dib couldn't wait for it to open, personally, but he didn't dare tell his father, and his friends would have laughed at him if they knew. It was a secret Dib was happy to keep from the world. An infomercial about a contest at his dad's labs made Dib mute the television. He hated hearing about his dad's work, work that kept him away from his family most of the year. Since his mother's death, it seemed his dad had gotten further and further into science, and farther and farther away from his kids. The front door suddenly slammed open and Torque walked in, along with some of the other kids from school. Dib reacted quickly and shut the TV off before they could see.

"Don't you know how to knock?" Dib rose one eyebrow and narrowed the other one.

"Yeah." Torque flopped down on the couch. "Practice was canceled, so we thought we'd come and see what you were up to."

"I'm eating." Dib responded. "Nothing interesting."

"So let's go out and do something." Rob, another football player, offered. "You're not busy and no one's home, right?"

Dib swallowed his food and nodded.

"Hey, I hear that one of the clubs down the road is secretly a gay club during the week." Brian said. "Let's go see if it's true or not."

"What?" Dib asked. "Why?"

"Just to check." Brian rolled his eyes. "And so we know not to go there on weekdays."

"Come on, guys, lay off." Dib said once his friends started to laugh. "It's not that funny."

"Let's just go and see how 'not that funny' it _really_ is." Torque pulled Dib off of the couch by the wrist. "Come on."

Dib sighed.

"Look, as soon as you and Sara become an item like we all know you will, you won't be able to hang with us much. Girls change everything." Torque informed. "So let's enjoy it while we can."

"And if we _don't_ become something more?" Dib argued.

"Then at least you can't say we're never around when you're bored." Rob smirked. "Come on."

"Fine." Dib gave in. "If we _have_ to go." He grabbed a black trench-coat from the coat-rack and led his friends out, making sure the door was locked behind him. When Gaz got home, if he wasn't back before her, she could let herself in. She didn't really seem to care if no one else was home. She and Dib couldn't be more different.

000

After having looked around his house for about an hour, familiarizing himself with everything, Zim left the abode and walked down into the town. He didn't know where to go for clothes, so he figured he'd just walk around until he either found it or found someone to ask. As he neared a tall brick building with catchy music pulsing inside, he heard a group of, what sounded like teenage, males talking loudly and laughing. When he approached, he could see that there were four of them. One didn't have the multiple antenna stuff, one had black antenna stuff, one had dark blue antenna stuff, and the last one had dark skin and no antenna stuff. They couldn't have been much older than Zim, or they were just short, and he was happy to find that they were speaking Universal Standard Language. Not his first language, but he was fluent enough to consider it his second. As the name foretold, it was the standard around the universe. No matter where you went, people could speak it. Zim didn't know why he hadn't thought of it earlier. All he had to do now was get his brain and voice box to agree and make the language come out of his mouth. He approached the four boys.

"Uh…excuse me." Zim greeted.

They turned. The raven haired boy's jaw went slack.

Zim cleared his throat nervously. He didn't look _that_ bad, did he? Sure he wasn't an expert at this stuff, but…

"Uh…hi." He said finally.

"Hi." The raven topped one said at last. "What's up?"

"Um…I was wondering if you guys could tell me where I could do some clothes shopping around here?" Zim hoped his USL was good enough that it made sense.

"Like the mall?" The antenna stuff-free male asked.

"Uh…yeah. The mall." Zim responded.

"That way." The navy topped one said. "Are you new around town? Cause everyone knows where the mall is. Right, Dib?"

The raven antenna-stuff boy finally shut his mouth completely. "Yeah." He said.

Zim assumed that was Dib. Which one of these guys were in charge? They were about the same height, so that didn't help him. "Yeah, I'm new." Zim responded. "I just moved here."

"Oh yeah?" The bald one wondered. "Well, I'm Torque." He informed, as if Zim cared. "That's Rob, Brian, and obviously, Dib."

Maybe Torque was leader?

"I can introduce myself, Torque." Dib shoved Torque lightly to the side.

The more muscular boy laughed, not seeming to mind it. Maybe Dib was in charge?

"I'm Zim." Zim responded.

"You're…16, I assume?" Dib asked.

Zim smiled, surprised that he didn't call him 10, which was the response most people gave him when asked. "Yeah, I'm 16." He said, feeling a bit too giddy.

"So you're probably in eleventh grade, right? Junior?"

"Yeah, I am." _Liar_.

"Cool, so are we. You going to school around here?" Rob wondered.

"Uh…yeah, I guess." Zim shrugged.

"You're not going to school?" Brian asked.

Did he say the wrong words? "Well…what I meant was uh…ah…um…"

"Leave him alone, guys." Dib ordered his companions. "He doesn't have to answer." He smiled softly. "So you wanna go to the mall? Want us to walk you over?"

"Dib…" Torque started.

"It's better than standing around out here."

"Why don't you guys just go in?" Zim looked at the building. "Sounds like a party in there."

"Serious?" Torque laughed. "During the weekdays, it's a gay bar, man."

"Oh?" Zim's antenna rose under his hologram.

"That's the rumor, yeah." Dib rolled his eyes at Torque.

"So if you didn't want to go in, why'd you come over?"

"Check out the rumor." Brian said. "Oh shit, there's Keef."

Zim turned. A boy with red-orange antennae stuff waved at them, albeit in a girly way, before darting across the street.

"Hey, guys!" He greeted, hugging Dib around the neck. "What brings you guys here?" He backed up and gasped at Dib. "I _was_ right, wasn't I?"

"I'm not gay, Keef!" Dib said. "I have a date with Sara this weekend, God."

"Then why are you here?"

"Rumor was that this was a gay bar. Just wanted to see for ourselves." Torque jumped into the conversation.

"Oh, you!" Keef flapped his hand in Torque's direction. "I don't see why you guys can't admit that one of you is gay."

"I'm not!" Dib groaned.

"Wasn't talking about you, doll." Keef looked point blank at Zim, who took a step back.

"Me?" He wondered. Was it that obvious?

"Well, yeah." Keef giggled. "A bit obvious by the way you're dressed, don't you think?"

"The way I'm…" Zim looked down at himself. "It's just a t-shirt and jeans."

"Come on, Keef, not now."

"So who _is_ this mystery boy here, hm?" Keef asked. "Don't be rude, guys."

"Zim." Zim responded, stopping his once-over of himself. "I'm new around here."

Keef yanked his hand from his side and shook it hard with both of his. "I'm Keef!" He informed, although Zim already knew. "Welcome to the neighborhood, cutie." Keef winked.

Zim retched his hand back. "You're breaking my arm." He told Keef. Truth be told, people weren't so foreword back home with him. Probably because they knew who he was. He didn't mind being treated the same way as everyone else; it was just different for him.

"Sorry." Keef tilted his head to the side and giggled cutely, eyes closing.

"Well, we had better get going." Dib said. "We're going to uh…go watch a football game at my house. Come on, Zim."

"Football?" Keef crinkled the thing between his eyes. What did that one species call those things? Noses? "Okay. I'll see you all later." Keef looked to Zim. "Don't be a stranger around here, sweetie." He slapped Zim on the ass.

"Hey!" Zim arched foreword and glared at the retreating boy.

"Sorry about him." Dib said, making Zim look at him. "He likes attention."

"I can _tell_." Zim rubbed his rear end. How rude!

"Let's get going, then." Torque said.

They started off without Zim, but he caught up quickly. "I thought we were going shopping." Zim told Dib.

"Who said we weren't?" Dib looked confused.

"You did." Zim said. "You told Keef…"

"If I had told him where we were really going, he'd have wanted to tag along." Rob informed.

"Oh." Zim responded.

"Did you want him to come?" Dib asked.

Zim flushed. "Not really." He said. "He's a bit annoying."

Dib laughed at that. "Preaching to the choir, pal." He said.

"Okay…" What in the sulfuric rocks of hell did that mean?

"I haven't met a person yet who _doesn't_ find him annoying." Torque added. "He's always all over you and he's got a bit too much energy, even for a cheerleader."

"He's a cheerleader?" Zim wondered. Zim never knew cheerleaders, since he never went to a real school. He knew what they were, though.

"He joined the team last year." Dib informed. "He didn't want to in ninth grade cause he was still in the closet."

_Like you are? I saw the way you looked at me, Dib._

"So?" Zim asked. "If he wanted to be a cheerleader, he should have gone for it."

"Are _you_ gonna go for it?"

"No way." Zim shook his head. "I'm not very flexible." He'd seen a cheerleading competition before, when his mom was a judge for one, and most of their moves looked like they would hurt. And Zim didn't mean just his nether regions. "And besides, it looks painful, some of that stuff."

No one said anything.

"Do you play any sports?" Rob wondered.

"I run." _And spar with my reflection._ "Why?"

"Oh, just wondering." Rob said.

"We're all on the football team." Torque informed. "Well, except Dib."

"I have better things to do then tackle people." Dib rolled his eyes.

Zim smiled softly.

"There's the mall." Brian pointed.

"We normally don't go here unless we're dragged by our parents." Dib informed. "So we don't know where anything is."

Zim hoped he didn't seriously mean 'dragged'. "Alright."

They led him through a path of back alleys and twists and turns before finally coming to a stop in front of a tall building labeled 'Mall'.

"Creative." Zim said.

Dib chuckled. "Well, come on. Let's go."

000

Zim looked himself over in the mirror of a dressing room. The shirt Dib had told him was in style looked like it belonged on someone else. Even though he ran, Zim wasn't very athletic. He was thin, sure, but that didn't mean much. The jeans he had were threatening to fall off his hips. Maybe he should have made a bracelet or a necklace that changed his clothing appearance.

"Come on out, Zim." Dib's voice ordered, accompanying a knock on the door of the stall.

"Uh…I look ridiculous." Zim argued. "I'd rather not come out yet."

"We'll be the judge of that, man. Come on out." Torque argued back.

Zim sighed and unlatched the lock, pushing the door open. The natives started laughing as soon as he stepped out of the too small room.

"I guess you were right." Dib at least had the decency to cover his mouth as he laughed.

Zim quickly stepped back into the room, shutting and latching the door again. He climbed out of the horrible native clothing and put his own back on before stepping out. "I think I've had enough shopping, today." He said.

"Zim." Dib said, seriously. "This is only our first store."

"Oh yeah…"

Laughter. "Man, I'm hungry." Torque said. "How about some late lunch?"

"Early dinner, you mean." Dib checked his watch. "I should probably be getting home."

"Oh, just call your sister. I'm sure she doesn't care." Brian told him.

Dib pulled a cell-phone from his pocket and dialed a number. "Excuse me." He said, walking out of hearing range.

"You hungry?" Torque asked.

It took Zim a moment to realize he was talking to him.

"Oh." Zim said. "No, I'm fine." His squeedly spooch groaned in protest. "Uh…heh heh."

"You don't have an eating disorder, do you?" Rob asked. "You're obviously hungry."

"No, no eating disorders." Zim answered. "But uh…" He pulled out his empty pockets. "No cash."

"Why'd you go shopping if you didn't have money?" Torque rose an eyebrow.

"Haven't you ever heard of window shopping?" Zim asked.

"Yeah, but only girls do that." Brian said.

"Alright, well…I just had to get out of the house. Had a huge fight with my mom. I should be glad if she lets me come back home."

"What did you fight about?"

"Nothing important." Zim said. "Don't worry about it."

Dib came back. "She's at some girl's house." He informed. "So where to eat?"

"I'm actually gonna leave." Zim said. "Mom just called my cell."

"Oh." Dib looked a bit upset. "Well, then maybe we'll see you at school?"

"Uh…yeah." Zim said. "I think I'm starting next week."

"Okay, cool." Dib said. "See you then."

"Yeah." Zim nodded. "Nice meeting you guys." He resisted the urge to bow. "Bye. Thanks for your help." He walked off before anyone could object to him.

000

"I'm serious." Torque said. "He told us he got into a fight with his mother. She didn't call him, man."

"So…he lied?" Dib took a bite of pizza.

Rob nodded. "Completely." He agreed.

"Well, he doesn't know us well enough." Dib said. "He was probably just uncomfortable."

"He seemed fine to me." Brian objected. "He said he was broke."

"So _that's_ why he left?" Dib wondered. "I would have offered."

"You hardly know the guy." Torque scolded and shook his head.

Dib shrugged. "I'm just nice, I guess."

The others exchanged looks.

"I don't trust him." Rob shook his head. "If he lied to you to get out of hanging with us, who knows what _else_ he's lying about. Maybe he didn't even get into a fight with his mom. He said he was planning on window shopping before we told him only girls did it."

"So?" Dib asked.

"That's when he said he got into a fight with his mom." Brian added.

"So he was embarrassed." Dib rolled his eyes. "It was only one screw up, guys. Don't hold it over him. It probably won't happen again."

The looks on their faces told Dib that his friends didn't believe him.


	9. Revelations and Friendships

Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! It's time that I put down my PSP and update with another chapter of Iz Moth! I'm going to try and update at least every other day. If I update a few days without a break, then well…I'm just as shocked as you! XD

Nbld: Review Corner! Thank you to InvaderAng, Darkdagers, Mew2928, yaoifangirlforever1716, suckishLEMONADE, and ArcAngelCrystal for reviewing…and putting up with Keef. Plushie Keef for all!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but The Mask and Krill, the plushie shrimp. Everything else belongs to Jhonen C. Vasquez. ZADR makes him sick to his "ill-proned belly", so I doubt he'd be writing this stuff. I make NO profit :3

000

Zim sat down at the bar counter inside the place he had met Dib and company outside of, Luna Star, or something like that. There were mostly guys inside, but a few girls. If it was a gay club, then the girls had to be lesbians. It wasn't like Zim had never heard the term lesbian, or known one, before, but it was a bit uncommon on Irk. A tap on his shoulder made him turn to see Keef standing behind him.

"Hey there, silly goose!" Keef greeted. "I thought you guys went to Dib's house."

"We did." Zim responded. "Things got weird."

"How so?" He sat next to Zim. "Tell old Keef-y about it."

"I just…I said something I shouldn't have and I had to lie my way out of it and when Dib came back from the bathroom, I had to lie my way out of the house." Another lie. "Don't worry about it. It was a stupid mistake."

Keef pouted. "You know what you need?"

"What?"

"You need a virgin daiquiri, please!" Keef directed the drink name to the bartender, who passed one two him. "And make it two!" another drink sailed to him and he caught it before handing it to Zim. "Drink up."

"I don't have money." Zim said quickly.

"Consider it a welcome to the hood gift, okay?" Keef laughed. "It's on me."

"Really? Thanks." Zim said. "I'll pay you back when I get money."

"Don't worry about it."

"No, I insist."

Keef giggled. "So was I right?"

"Right?"

"About you being like us?" He made a gesture to the crowd, sweeping his arm out.

"You mean gay?"

Keef nodded.

"Well…I uh…"

"If you don't answer, I'm going to take it as a 'yes'."

"That…wouldn't be a total lie."

Keef gasped. "I knew it." He said. "Same thing with Dib. His date with Sara doesn't fool me, no it doesn't." He shook his head. "Dib's as straight as a damn circle."

"Heh, heh. Yeah." Zim nodded. "But look…it doesn't seem to be that okay around here, so could you please not…?"

"My lips are _sealed_." Keef promised. "On one condition."

"Yeah?"

"Dance?" Keef asked.

"Our drinks." Zim objected. He knew better than to leave them unattended.

"Oh yeah. After we finish?"

Zim smiled softly. "Sure. It's been a while since I danced."

000

After having said goodbye to Keef and making him _promise_ not to say anything to anyone, Zim finally made it home. He unlocked the door and walked in, before slamming it and locking it from the inside. He sighed.

"Well, at least I didn't screw _everything_ up tonight." He told himself. He sighed. "I hope Dib isn't too mad. I wish I knew how to get a-hold of him before school starts." Another sigh. "I better hack some files and enroll myself. And maybe make a clothes thing, too? And money. I'm going to need that. Maybe I'll test it out shopping later." He paused. "Why in the hell am I talking to myself?" He left for one of the rooms of the house that had nothing in it but a table and a chair to work.

000

Across town, Dib was lying in bed awake. He had to get up at 5 the next day to get ready for school, but it was almost 11 and he couldn't sleep. Why had Zim lied like that? _Was_ he uncomfortable with Dib and his friends? Or was he ashamed to be broke? Either way, he didn't have to lie. He could have just told them the truth. Maybe Keef had been right about Zim being gay and he didn't want the others to figure it out. Dib sighed. Thinking like this brought no answers, only more insomnia. Dib threw the covers off of himself and climbed off of his bed. He made his way outside to the hall and down the stairs to the kitchen. His father was reading the newspaper at the table and drinking a cup of coffee.

"Hey, dad." Dib said. "I didn't know you were home."

"I just got in." The Professor didn't look away from the paper.

"Oh." Dib walked to the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk. Maybe some warm milk would help him relax.

"Why are you up so late?"

"Just thinking about today."

"Yeah?"

"I met this new guy today when I was with my friends. He's going to be in school with us, starting next week, or so he said."

"Or so he said?" The Professor looked over the top of his paper.

"He lied to get out of hanging with us longer today." Dib said. "We were showing him where the mall was, cause he said he had to do some shopping and didn't know where it was." Dib poured the milk and stuck it in the microwave. "He tried on one outfit in a store and it looked ridiculous, so we laughed. Then he changed and Torque sad he wanted to get something to eat."

"So?"

"Okay, this is where things get weird." Dib pulled his milk from the microwave and shut it off with a small 'ding'. "When I went off a bit to call Gaz to make sure she was okay at home, he told my friends he was broke and just there to window shop. But they said only girls do that, so he took it back and said he got into a fight with his mom."

"So…_how_ does this get weird?"

"Well, when I came back from my phone call, I asked where they wanted to go for food, and he said that his mom called him and left. But the guys said he _didn't_ get a phone call." Dib sighed. He felt like such a girl when telling his father things. "I don't know what to believe about him anymore. Did we do something we shouldn't have?"

"It sounds to me like you were just being good neighbors." The Professor took a sip from his coffee as Dib joined him at the table. "Maybe he's not used to people being so nice."

"I don't see why." Dib shook his head. "He's a pretty nice guy, too. He didn't tell Keef to get lost when he was bothering us earlier and accusing him of being gay."

"Keef thinks _everyone_ is gay." Gaz's voice said. "Your voice makes me want to hit something." She glared at her brother.

"Sorry."He shrugged and drank some warm milk.

"Be nice, Gaz." The Professor said. "You kids should really be in bed."

"Blame big mouth over here." Gaz rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I wouldn't be even thinking about this if it wasn't for Zim lying so much today. Blame _him_."

"That's enough." The Professor argued. "Dib, don't worry about it, he'll come around. Gaz, your brother and I are done talking. I have an experiment to complete in the labs." The Professor left without so much as a 'goodnight'.

Gaz waited until their dad shut the basement door. "So was he cute?"

Dib groaned.


	10. First Day

Dlbn: Hey there everyone! Time once again for me to put down my PSP and update Iz Moth! I can't believe we're up to chapter ten already! Seems like ti just started! Anyway, enough of my gushing. On with the fic!

Nbld: REVIEW CORNER! Thank you to suckishLEMONADE, ArcAngelCrystal, Darkdagers, yaoifangirlforever1716, and Mew2928 for reviewing! Plushie Reds and Plushie Purples for all!

Disclaimer: I own nothing other than The Mask and Krill, the shrimp that only was for a few chapters.

000

Zim awoke the next day feeling a little restless. He'd had fun with Keef, but that was about it. It wasn't like when he was with Krill. Krill…did he even know Zim had run off? What about his mother? Was she frantically searching the planet-searching the universe-for him? And were Red and Purple speculating where he had gone and making up lies to the media to prevent them from knowing? Did his dad tell the reporters that he was sick inside, but he'd be fine soon, so they could stop worrying? Did anyone other than his family even notice his absence? And his customers, were they looking for him to deliver the items he had promised them days, weeks, months ago but never received? Maybe there was a way he could get this stuff to them? Naw, people would just find out where he was hiding. Still, Zim missed the income and the look on peoples' faces when they got exactly what they had needed, maybe even then some. Zim sighed and stretched. All these questions were making him use his brain, which made him think. He had to find a way to replicate Earth currency. He didn't even know what it looked like. He knew it was green, like him, but that wouldn't help. He had briefly seen some while Keef was paying for their drinks. There were pictures of people on them, but who? Zim sighed. He'd need to figure this all out and soon. He walked out of the bedroom and into the living room, noting that they might be a little too close together. A knock at his door made him jump. Zim turned on his hologram, having kept the watch on during the night just in case, and answered the door.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Wanna buy some chocolate covered ninja star cookies?" A little girl's voice asked.

Zim looked around.

"Down here, silly!"

Zim looked down. A girl with red-orange antennae things was at his front door, holding the handle on a red wagon, filled with boxes of cookies and a tin of money. She wore a white and bright red uniform of some sort.

"I don't have any cash." He said.

"They're _delicious_!" She waved a box in his face, which was opened on one side. "Would you like to try a free sample?"

"Thank you, but I'm really broke." He took his wallet from his pajama pants' pocket and held it open to show her that there was nothing inside.

"Are you _sure_?" She asked sweetly, looking up at him with bulging blue eyes. "They're really _go-oo-oo-oo-d_!"

"I'm sure." Zim said. Didn't she understand the meaning of the word 'no'? Well, sometimes he didn't either, so he couldn't complain. "Come back soon, though, and I should have money."

His PAK produced a small camera and hid it behind him. It snapped a photo of the money quietly before going back inside his PAK.

"Okay, mister! I'll hold you to that!" She said with a giggle. "Bye-bye, now!" She waved enthusiastically and turned, before skipping down the pathway, dragging her wagon behind her.

Zim's eye twitched as he shut the door. Well, that was annoying. But at least it helped him see what money looked like. Now he could replicate it better. Zim took off his hologram as his PAK produced the spider leg with the camera and he took it, the leg silently slipping back into his PAK. He hit the zoom button so he could clearly see the money in the tin. There were three or four different papers and a few coins. Zim went into the kitchen and pulled his laptop from its case. He sat at the table, cursing when he realized he didn't have a printer, nor did he know how thick money was. It looked thin on the camera screen, but the screen was small, and not of the best quality, so that didn't mean anything. Sighing, Zim activated his PAK legs again, and one popped out with his real wallet, full of Irken currency. Irkens mostly used coins, but bigger amounts were used as bills. He held one in his hand. It was definitely thin in his hand. Did that match with Earth currency? It occurred to Zim that he didn't even know the species he was dealing with. That wouldn't do. He couldn't call things 'Earth this' and Earth that' the whole time he was here. That wasn't blending in. Zim hooked his camera to his computer with a black cable. The images he had taken came up on screen. The one of the money was his interest, so he clicked on it.

"Aha." He said. He used the computer to select the money image and then see the approximate thickness of the paper. Not very thick at all. His PAK wasn't really a printer, but it could function as well as one, making images into real life objects. A cable snaked out of his PAK, attaching itself to his computer. The money would print from the database in his PAK. His PAK wasn't really a printer, but it could function as well as one, making images into real life objects. Once he had cut around the stuff he didn't want, Zim told the computer to print out about thirty pages worth of each type. That should be enough. The coins would be trickier, but he had some scrap metal for that. Once the money finished in his PAK, his PAK opened and the paper slid out to the floor, each as an individual piece of money. Zim unplugged the cable to his PAK and put the laptop in standby mode with a password to get back into active mode. Zim went into as closet where his suitcase of materials was. He popped it open and pieces of copper and silver slid out, considering that the suitcase was full of metal and other various parts. Zim collected the pieces and found a soldering iron that he could use to melt a symbol into the currency. Taking the metal, Zim went back into the kitchen. He logged back into the laptop and pulled up the money image again. He attached his PAK to it via the cable and downloaded the image for coins. His PAK engraved images of different four coins onto the four stamps Zim had put in his PAK. When he was done with enough coins, Zim turned everything off and unplugged everything. He put his laptop away and plugged the soldering iron into the wall. He burned the image that was on the stamp and pressed it into one side of a metal sheet. It made a singing sound, but otherwise formed the image Zim wanted on the metal. He used the soldering iron to burn the coin image through the metal, making coins fall onto the table. He did that with each stamp, about half a dozen times or so each. When satisfied, he unplugged the soldering iron and smiled. After depositing all the newly made money into his fake wallet, Zim put his wallet into his pocket and picked up the keys to the front door. Time to go shopping.

000

The woman at the counter of a store in the mall Dib and friends had brought Zim to the day before eyed him strangely as he tried to pay for the clothing he had picked out. She took the money anyway, put it in the cash register, and gave him change. With a 'have a nice day', she sent him on his way. What Zim failed to notice was that she had waved over a Security Guard. The man talked to her before following Zim, grabbing him by the arm. He spun Zim around, not letting go. Zim's eyes were wide.

"Um…may I help you?" He asked. Had his mother's guards managed to find him? Or did the cashier notice that his money wasn't quite right?

"Aren't you supposed to be in school, son?" The guard asked.

"What?"

"May I see some ID, son?"

Zim pulled out his wallet and handed the man the ID he had made himself the night before. The man looked it over. "You're only sixteen." He said. "You should be in school at this hour."

"I'm not enrolled in school yet." Zim answered. "I just moved here."

"Well," the man chuckled. "That's no excuse. Come on, son. Let's get you to school."

"What about my stuff? Can I just drop it home and go to school?"

"Nice try."

"Can I at least change into something fresh?" Zim asked. "These are from yesterday."  
The guard crinkled his nose at that. "Change over here." He dragged Zim over to the dressing rooms he had used yesterday.

Zim slipped in and quickly changed into light wash jeans with ripped knees and a black short sleeved shirt, knowing the man wouldn't tolerate him taking too long. The guard smiled. "There we go. All better." He said. "Now, I'll cut a deal."

"Okay." Zim liked cutting deals. They always got him out of hot water.

"If I let you go home and change, you promise me to go to school."

"What's the catch?"

"I will have a cop car stationed at the front gate of Skool High. I'm assuming that's where you're going to go?"

"Yeah."

"I will give him your picture." The guard snapped a picture of Zim, making him see spots. "And when he sees you enter school grounds, he will leave. Do we have a deal?"

"If you throw in directions to the school, too."

The guard pulled out a small slip of paper and a pencil. Zim noticed it was a demerit slip. The man wrote on the back. "That's how to get there from here, oaky? Just come here to start off."

"Okay." Zim nodded.

"Good. Now run along." The man pulled out a walkie-talkie as Zim left.

000

Dib sat in his English classroom, twirling a pencil between his fingers. This class was _torture_, even though his friends were in it. Dib let his mind wander while his teacher spoke. Why had Zim lied yesterday? Sure, he didn't know Dib or his friends too well, but that wasn't a real excuse to lie every two seconds and come up with a completely convoluted story. Dib didn't know _what_, if anything, Zim had said was true. Maybe he was lying about everything. Even his age. Did he even have a mother? Maybe it was just him and his dad. Or maybe it was just him. But that didn't make sense, unless he was about 18 or so. Maybe he'd been here for a while. He didn't really _have_ to have just moved to town yesterday…right? That made no sense. Why would he be roaming around the day he moved into a new town? Unless…he really _did_ get into a fight with his mother and left, but he didn't have money to be able to buy food, so he lied his way out of it…with three or four lies? That still made no sense, but it was the only thing he could think of. The bell rang and snapped Dib out of his reverie. The teacher never noticed if her students weren't listening, so he knew he wasn't in trouble. Sara was at his desk in an instant. "Hey, Dib." She greeted.

"Hey, Sara." Dib said, before yawning. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing." She giggled. "Just making sure we're still on for Sunday, is all."

"Yeah, nothing's changed."

"Cool." She giggled. "See you in lunch!"

"Okay."

She left. Torque was at Dib's side next. "Math, man, come on." He said. "Damn, Sara's a bit annoying."

Dib picked up his unopened backpack and led Torque out, to where Rob and Brian were waiting for them.

"She's just excited is all." Dib shook his head.

"Hey, Dib, got some news for you. About Zim." Rob said.

"What about him?" Dib didn't really care, but why were his cheeks all red? Damn it!

"Well, I saw Keef earlier and, get this. Zim went to the club we were outside after he ditched us."

"Serious?" Torque laughed. "Maybe Keef was right."

"Or maybe he just wanted to see if we were right." Dib responded, shaking his head.

"Man, you hardly know him, stop defending him." Brian ordered.

"It's true, though. He didn't come off as gay to me." Dib said. "Why were you talking to Keef, anyway?"

"I wasn't. He was behind me in line for kickball in gym and started talking." Rob scoffed. "Pain in my rear end."

Keef approached them. "Hey, guys!" He greeted. "You will _never_ guess what!"

"Zim was at the gay club with you last night?" Dib asked. "Yeah, we know."

"Ye-ah, but he's also here."

"In school?" Dib took a step back. He wasn't ready to see Zim yet!

"Uh-huh! I just showed him where the office was so he could get a schedule." Keef said. "I didn't think he was coming this week, but he said he had been shopping at the mall and a Security Guard had noticed that he was school age, so he was forced into coming here. A cop was waiting outside to make sure he came in and everything!" Keef burst into a bright smile. "I hope I have some classes with him! What about you, Dib?"

"Not after yesterday." Torque said before Dib could. "Zim lied to us a bit."

"Yeah, I know." Keef nodded. "He told me at the club. I don't think he's happy about having done that. So who won the game last night?"  
"Oh, you know." Dib said. "That team. With the colors."

Keef giggled. "Not helpful."

"The Bills." Torque said. "Game sucked." He must have checked the scores online when he went home.

"Sorry to hear that." Keef smiled. "Oh, hey, there's Zim! I'm gonna go talk to him. See you guys later!"

Dib shook his head. "Let's go before he comes over here."

His friends followed him towards math class, laughing and joking all the way.


	11. Tensions Mount

Dlbn: Hey, everyone! The weekend's over and I've been lazy and need a slapping, so here I bring chapter 11 of Iz Moth in reparation. Yes, I've been paying attention in my law class…sort of…okay, not really…

Nbld: REVIEW CORNER! Thank you to suckishLEMONADE, Invader Ang, Darkdagers, yaoifangirlforever1716, and ArcAngelCrystal for reviewing! Action figure Krill with shrimp costumes for everyone!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, Krill, and The Mask. All else belongs to the fabulous Jhonen Vasquez, hater of bare-feet and the pink cellophane on the windows of the Invader Zim studios…

000

Zim took a step back as Keef almost ran into him.

"Hey, new buddy!" He said with a smile. "What class are you in next?" He took Zim's schedule from him before he could read it. "Math, huh? Ooh, you have it with me and Dib and the others!"

"Uh…Dib…?" Zim gulped. He really didn't want to see Dib yet after he made an ass of himself already.

"Yeah!" Keef smiled. "Oh, don't worry. I'm sure they're not mad about everything from yesterday. And if they are, then you can just hang with me!" He looked Zim's schedule over again. "OMG, we have a lot of classes together! Even lunch! Cool! Come on, let's go to math before we're late."

He grabbed Zim by the wrist and started dragging him off. People were staring.

"Uh…Keef…people are watching." Zim retched his hand away.

"Oh, probably just wondering who you are is all. You _are_ of course, the newest thing here! Besides that pile of vomit over there." He pointed.

"Um…that's disgusting."

"Very." Keef nodded. "You're just going to _love_ our math teacher. He makes class so much fun! I hated math until I met MR. C."

"Mr. C?"

"Mr. Calvin, actually, but we all call him Mr. C. You'll like him. Promise."

"I'll take your word for it."

"Well, here we are." Keef pushed Zim into the class ahead of himself. Zim stumbled into the room and heard instant whispers, some about him. He flushed as Keef pushed him to the teacher.

"Hey, Mr. C!" Keef greeted cheerfully. "This is Zim. He's new here!"

"Hello then, Zim." Mr. C smiled. "You like math?"

"Um…not my strong suit, but it's not bad." Zim responded. _Wow, that's the first thing you've said that's true since you got here! Good boy!_

"Excellent." Mr. C smiled broadly. "I see Keef's made it his job to introduce you to everyone, hm?"

Zim nodded. "You can say that again."

"Keef, why don't you take a seat?" MR. C asked. "We'll get Zim a spot once everyone else shows up."

"Okay, Mr. C!" Keef pat Zim on the back before leaving.

Zim flushed as he felt all eyes on him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dib and his friends from yesterday in the back corner. Dib caught his gaze, scowled, and then turned away. So he _was_ mad at him. Damn. Oh well. He had Keef, not the best thing to happen to him so far, but better than nothing. Mr. C seemed to notice the behavior because he pulled a seating chart from his desk and made a mark on it. Once the bell rang, Mr. C looked over the seating chart. "It looks like we have one seat available."

Zim could see that was a lie. The one MR. C was pointing to was near Keef, but another one was near Dib and his crew. "Go ahead and take the empty seat to Keef's right, Zim."

"Thanks." Zim muttered, half of him hating the fact that he was sitting near Keef and half of him loving that he wasn't near Dib. Zim went to the seat instructed and Keef winked at him.

"Okay, everyone. Today we are going to continue the joys of math with the even greater joy of parabolas!" Mr. C addressed the class. "Now open your note packets to page 5 and we'll get started."

000

After having gotten about half a dozen notes from Keef, a couple dozen glares from Dib and his friends, a couple questions asked by Mr. C and a couple of friendly smiles from his other classmates, Zim was happy to hear the final bell ring. He stood like the others and grabbed his stuff. Dib walked up his aisle from the back.

"Welcome to school." He muttered. "Just stay out of our way."

Zim watched him, mouth agape. How rude! Zim wasn't used to that. He was used to everyone being overly nice to him because he was a Prince, not teenagers scowling at him and ordering him around.

"You're catching flies, silly!" Keef said. "Something wrong?"

"Did you hear him?" Zim whispered.

"Dib? Yeah, he's pretty steamed, I guess." Keef shrugged.

A girl with violet colored antenna things smiled at Zim. "He's pretty cool when you get to know him." She said. "I'm Zita."

"Uh…I'm Zim." Zim shook the hand offered to him.

"He's pretty popular, so try and get on his good side. You're already on mine." She winked and fled the room.

"That's Torque's girlfriend." Keef said. "You know, the macho one with no hair?"

Hair? _That's_ what it was called?

"Yeah, I know." Zim nodded.

Keef took Zim's schedule and looked it over. "Cool, history with Mrs. C." Keef said. "I don't think there's any relation to MR. C?" The ending was directed at the teacher, who laughed.

"You already know the answer, Keef. Now run along so you aren't late, boys. Nice work today, Zim!"

"Thank you." Zim said, being pulled out of the classroom between words.

"Mrs. C don't normally care about being late, so we're fine." Keef said. "This class isn't with Dib and his friends, so we're good for now. No more dirty looks or rude comments from Mr. Grumpy."

"Look, uh, Keef…" How should he say this? "I appreciate you helping me out and all, but don't you have something else you'd rather be doing?"

Keef giggled. "No. All my friends I don't see until lunch." He said. "We're the GLASS Club."

"Uh…GLASS?"

"Gay, lesbian, and Straight Spectrum?" Keef offered.

"Oh, I get it."

"Yeah, some of us are actually straight, though. Maybe _you'd_ like to join as one of our straight members?" Keef nudged him playfully.

"Stop, please." Zim laughed.

"So is that a yes?"

"It's more like a solid maybe."

"Okay. I'll give you until Monday to think about it. That's our next meeting, anyway." Keef said. "But for now, history time!"

000

Once lunch came around, Zim had gotten used to Keef's presence and even Dib's glares. They hadn't had a class together since math, but they'd bumped into one another in the halls with the same results. Zim didn't really care. He didn't need Dib's approval. He was a Prince. An entire _planet_ approved of him, even if what he did for money wasn't approved of by his mother. Keef grabbed Zim by the wrist and dragged him to a table towards the back of the cafeteria. A group of three or four guys and three or four girls, Zim couldn't tell with some of them, made up the table. Three seats were open, two across from one another and the last to the right of one. Keef pulled Zim into one seat and sat across from him.

"Everyone, this is Zim!" Keef introduced him. "Zim, this is everyone."

The others smiled.

"Hi." A girl with braces greeted. "I'm Gretchen."

"Hi."

"Welcome to the school."

"Yeah, I saw the looks Dib was giving you." A short, chubby boy said. "What did you do? Breathe his air?"

"Ha, ha." Zim chuckled. "No, I uh…lied to him yesterday. I was getting flustered and it just kind of slipped out. I guess he figured out it was a lie and now he's mad."

"Oh, is that all?" One of the males asked, a bit too loudly for Zim's taste. "I thought it was something worse!"

"Screamy, what did we say about 'inside voices'?" Keef asked, leaning his chin in his hands.

"Sorry." 'Screamy' seemed like he was trying a bit too hard to control the volume of his voice.

Keef giggled in Zim's direction. "Sorry." He said. "He can't help it."

"Oh, it's fine." Zim said. "I don't mind."

"Cool." Keef said.

Another girl with violet hair walked over and took the remaining seat. "Hey, everyone." She greeted with a slight smile.

"Hi." Keef greeted.

She pulled some type of thin square box from her pocket and flicked a switch. Zim recognized it as a game system when she opened it.

"We have a new friend, Gaz." Keef informed. "Can't you put your Game Slave away?"

'Game Slave'? What the heck kind of a name was _that_?

Gaz hit a button. "I need to beat the next boss by tonight if I want to make the record." She informed him.

"Two seconds." Keef said.

"No, let her finish." Zim answered. "I understand how important setting a record can be."

She looked at him and her jaw fell open a bit. "You're the new guy?" She asked, sounding like she was choking on her words.

"Uh, yeah. Zim." He said.

She seemed taken aback. "Zim?" She asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"My brother told me about you." She nodded her head towards one of the tables.

So what if her brother…oh. Dib's table. That explained some things.

"Oh…" Zim flustered. "Well…I uh…what happened was…"

"Save it." Gaz ordered. "Look, I'm making this simple." She pushed her tray of food to the side and leaned forward. "I don't know why you lied to Dib and I don't know what you said." The look on her face was scolding. "I really don't give a shit about either."

"Gaz, please!" Keef scolded her.

She glared at him and he stopped talking. She turned back to Zim. "But I know that my brother doesn't like being lied to and I know that he can sure hold a grudge. So if you don't want things to end badly for you, then I suggest apologizing or staying out of his way until he's cooled off. So which is it?"

Zim didn't say anything for a moment, trying to come up with the best way to say it in USL.

"I'd apologize if I was allowed anywhere near him." Zim said at last. "I know it's a horrible excuse, but he did tell me to stay out of his way, the last time I saw him."

"I can vouch." Keef nodded.

Gaz didn't respond. "Men never cease to make me hate the human race even more." She shook her head and went back to her game.

Zim started to speak, but Keef lightly kicked him under the table and shook his head when Zim looked at him. Looked like he'd have to leave it at that. Zim looked over at Dib's table. Was there a way he could get Dib alone to apologize?

000

'Why does he keep looking over here?' Dib thought to himself, looking away from his sister's table.

And why did he have to be sitting with Gaz, of all people? Probably Keef's fault. Maybe Dib could get Zim alone later and tell him not to talk to his sister. Yeah, right. Zim seemed like he was the type that looked calm and quiet, but if you told him to do or not to do something, he'd probably snap at you. Dib didn't want to risk getting into a fight with him, on school grounds or otherwise. He wished he knew where Zim lived. Surely, Zim wouldn't strike him if his parents were around. Unless he was a latch-key kid like Dib and Gaz were.

"Zim keeps looking at you." Rob told Dib.

"Maybe he likes you." Torque chuckled, spooning some unidentifiable food from his plate into his mouth.

"Ugh, he'd better not." Dib sneered.

"Still mad about yesterday?" Brian stated the obvious.

"Duh." Dib rolled his eyes. "There was no reason to lie like he did. I don't know _what_ his problem was."

"Maybe there's something on his mind." Rob said. "I mean, for the staring at you now part. I don't know why he lied yesterday. Maybe he's pathological."

"It could be." Dib shrugged. "Maybe we should refer the Shrink to him."

The others laughed. "Sounds like a plan." Torque said.

"So he lied to you." Zita commented. "Big deal. People lie all the time."

"He lied a few times. Changed his story every time someone asked something." Torque said. "We don't know what to believe, and until we do, he's a threat."

"What threat could he possibly be? Look, all I see is a new kid who's being dragged around by Keef and talking to Gaz and is probably gay."

"You think he's gay?" Dib asked.

"Well, he's looking at you for a reason, Dib."

"Maybe Gaz said something to him." Sara shrugged.

"I wouldn't put it past her." Rob shook his head.

"Whatever." Dib sighed. He didn't really care. Dib stole another look at Zim's table, and sneered in disgust.


	12. Breaking Point

Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! Feels like FOREVER since I last updated! So here we go, another chapter of Iz Moth!

Nbld: We have noticed that a few people were annoyed by Dib's horrible behavior. Things with him will get much better. They hit a breaking point in this chapter, but they'll gradually get better.

Dlbn: We wouldn't want to completely hate poor little Dib, no?

Nbld: Anyway, it's time for the review corner: Thank you to suckishLEMONADE, Invader Ang, Darkdagers, yaoifangirlforever1716, ArcAngelCrystal, Kiki, Invader Zhyr, YinYangHeart, and Mio-Chan's Return for reviewing! Chapter eleven has had the most reviews to date! (Throws confetti). Apology hugs from Dib to all! (Even to Zim, though he's not a reviewer)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, The Mask, and Krill the shrimp that once was.

000

Once school was out, Zim was dragged outside by Keef to meet his friends from the lunch table. They were sitting on a picnic bench outside, chatting. Even Gaz was with them. Zim smiled at her and she returned the gesture.

"Well, Zim here said he'll consider being a straight member of the club." Keef smiled at Zim.

"Good." Gaz said. "I'm tired of only having three straight people in this thing and none of them are guys."

Zim flushed. "I have to check with mom." He lied.

"Don't be lying." Gaz ordered.

Zim shook his head. "I'm not." _You are._

"What bus number are you, Zim?" Gretchen asked.

"Uh…I don't ride the bus. I walk." He said. _First truth you've told in a while._

"Well, where do you live?" Keef asked.

"Uh…that way." Zim pointed.

Keef giggled. "I meant your address." He corrected. "Can't be too far from the club, I assume."

"About ten minutes." Zim shrugged.

"Do you even know how to get home from here?" Gretchen wondered.

"Yea, sort of." Zim responded. "I can manage."

"Sure?" Another boy, who Keef had introduced as Melvin. "You want someone to walk with you or something?"

"Naw, I'll be fine." Zim waved his hand.

"I seriously doubt that." Dib's voice sneered.

Zim turned. Dib stood with Brian, Rob, Torque, and two girls Zim hadn't met before. He had his arms folded and didn't look happy to be talking to Zim.

"Oh." Zim greeted. "Hi, Dib."

"Gaz, let's go." Dib ignored Zim's greeting.

"Don't be rude." Gaz sneered.

"Fine, whatever." Dib rolled his eyes. "Hi, Zim. Gaz, now."

Gaz snarled and continued playing her game as she stood.

"See you guys tomorrow." She said. "Nice meeting you, Zim."

"You too, Gaz." Zim smiled.

"Bet he's lying about that." Torque sneered as he and the other started to leave.

"Can't you guys just let it go?" Zim asked.

"Zim." Keef hissed, shaking his head and his eyes wide.

"Excuse me?" Rob asked.

"Look, I know I lied, and it was a stupid thing to do. I'm sorry." Zim said. "But everyone lies. It's something you have to deal with."

Brian looked ready to retort with something, but Dib spoke before him. "Let him go." Dib rolled his eyes. "It's not worth it." He looked at Zim. "You really know how to get off to a bad start with someone, huh? You know, we all could have been friends, if you hadn't lied."

"I got flustered and embarrassed, and I said something I shouldn't have." Zim folded his arms. "I already apologized. What more do you want out of me?"

"Nothing." Dib rolled his eyes. 'Obviously you lack basic personal skills."

"My personal skills are just fine, thank you." Zim said. "And, by the way, I'm not the one holding a grudge over something trivial. If you don't want me to talk to you ever again, then fine, I won't."

"That would be great." Dib sneered. "Great first day at school, huh?"

"_Listen_ you…"

"That's enough." Gaz had paused her game, and now stood between the feuding teens. "Dib, accept the damn apology, Zim stop trying to reason with him."

"I accept the apology." Dib said. "Doesn't mean I'm gonna forget about it as easily."

"I don't expect you to forget." Zim said. "I'd be pissed too if I was lied to like you were, but I really didn't mean it."

"Zim, stop." Gaz rolled her eyes. "You two don't get along, we all get that. Now come on, moron, let's go." She grabbed her brother by the arm and yanked him away.

"He's so infuriating!" Zim scuffed the ground with his toe once Dib and company had left.

"He's a popular kid." Melvin said. "What more do you want?"

"I'm just…not used to people talking to me like that." Zim said. "That's all."

"Why? Are you royalty or something?" Melvin wondered.

"No, I just never went to school before." _Half a lie._

"Really?" Keef sounded impressed. 'You're very smart, though."

"Thanks." Zim flushed. "I was homeschooled."

"My cousin was homeschooled." Gretchen said, smiling widely. "She hated it. She never got to interact with people her own age."

"Yeah, my older brothers used to bring me out to parties all the time, and there'd be kids my age there a lot." _Not so much a lie. You're getting good at this._

"Used to?" Melvin wondered.

"My mom and I moved here and they're adults, so they have their own places back home. Can't take me anywhere if they're not around."

"Good point." Keef nodded.

Buses began to pull up in front of the school and opened their doors.

"Aw, the buses." Keef frowned. "Well, time to go home."

"I hope you get back alright, Zim." Gretchen said. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." Zim responded. "Bye, guys."

They all waved and walked towards different buses. Zim waited until the buses left and were out of sight before leaving school grounds himself, hoping no one would see where he was going.

000

Dib pushed open the door to his house, leading everyone else in.

"I don't see why you have such a problem with him, Dib." Gaz scowled. "He seems fine to me."

"You heard what he said, Gaz. He has an attitude." Dib said.

"Don't like in him what you see in you?" Gaz asked.

"Excuse me?" Dib raised an eyebrow.

"You have an attitude. He probably wouldn't have been as rude if you hadn't been rude first."

"I wouldn't have been rude first if he hadn't lied!"

"So you combat lying by being rude?" Gaz asked. "Tell me how _that_ makes sense!"

"You know, Gaz, if you keep defending him like that, we might start to think you like him." Torque chuckled, putting an arm around her shoulders.

Gaz scowled and shoved him away, not even looking up from her game.

"Shut up." She ordered. "I'll be upstairs." Gaz walked up the stairs, saying nothing more about the matter.

"You don't think she _does_ like him, do you?" Sara asked, nervously twisting a strand of her dark hair.

"Gaz doesn't like anyone." Dib responded. "It's a miracle she has friends at all, even if he's one of them."

"Okay, I think it's time to let it go for the day." Brian said.

"Yeah, let's do something." Rob launched himself over the back of the couch and sat down. "Put on the tube and we'll watch something."

"Or we could go out somewhere." Zita shrugged.

"Last time we did that, we met the liar." Dib said. "And I'm hungry. Who wants food? I'll order a pizza."

The door opened and Professor Membrane walked in. "Hello son." He greeted. "And friends. Where's Gaz?"

"Upstairs playing her stupid game." Dib rolled his eyes. "Can we order a couple pizzas?"

"I don't see why not." Membrane shrugged. "You know where the money is. Now if you'll all excuse me, I have some work…"

"Did Dib tell you about the guy he met the other day?" Jessica, a blonde girl, asked.

"The liar?" Torque offered.

"Oh, him." Membrane nodded. "He did mention something about a boy you children ran into. Why?"

"He goes to our school now." Zita said. "Keef's made it his job to show him everything."

"Oh, well that's fine." Membrane looked at Dib. "Did you say hello?"

"Well…sort of." Dib flushed. "I mean, not really."

"He was rude as holy hell." Gaz said, walking down the stairs. "And I need new batteries." She went to a desk and pulled open the drawer, fishing a pack of batteries out of it.

Membrane turned to Dib.

"I said hello." Dib rolled his eyes. "And I accepted his apology."

"You put up a fight about it." Gaz corrected. "And said that he had poor personal skills."

"What else do you call it when someone lies to a person they just met instead of being honest and then acts like they did nothing wrong?" Dib sneered.

Membrane shook his head. "Try just being polite next time, son." He scolded. "Now, I have some very important business to attend to in the lab. It was nice to see you children again." He went to a door marked 'Labs', and disappeared inside.

"Why'd you bring it up?" Dib looked to Jessica.

"I thought maybe he'd know how to handle it." Jessica shrugged. "Sorry, should I have not said anything?"

"That would have been better, yeah." Dib looked to his sister. "And why'd you have to tell him I was an ass to Zim?"

"Cause otherwise you'd say that Zim was being an ass to you, and I thought dad should know the truth." Gaz shrugged. "Pepperoni on mine." She went back upstairs.

Dib rolled his eyes. He was _so_ not ordering her a pepperoni pizza.

000

Zim sighed as he flipped through channels on his TV later that night. Earth channels sure were boring. The most he found was some commercial for a product called 'Acne Blast', and one of a strange man jumping around in a taco suit. They didn't make sense. He wished he could get Irken channels without alerting anyone to his presence, but that was something that was impossible. For now, he'd have to settle for Earth television. Or should it be more appropriately named as Human Television, considering he had earlier learned that the species was called human. If he was bored enough, he could have always called up Keef and seen if he'd mind giving him a tour of the town, but then he might run into Dib again. Ugh, the teenager was so infuriating! So what if Zim lied? He would hate to see what his reaction would be had he told him the truth. He'd probably think Zim was lying again. Why were human males so hard to understand? Irken males were so much easier to read. Maybe if he were human, then it wouldn't be as difficult. But no, he was an Irken and therefore other races made no sense to him. He understood some stuff about the Meekrob and the Vortians, but humans were something different. Maybe it was just the human race? Eh, whatever. All this thinking and trying to understand Dib was hurting his head. Zim turned off the TV and pulled his backpack up from the floor. He had some homework he should've been working on, but it wasn't too hard and he could do it before school. Maybe he'd go and tinker with some machinery he had made the night before and see if he could come up with anything else that would be useful. So far he had made a security system and a toaster, but that was it. The security system had to be installed, but that could wait. Everything seemed in order and he hadn't seen any trouble around the neighborhood on the way back. Maybe there was a low crime rate? Whatever. It didn't matter as long as everything was safe. Zim stood and stretched. Maybe he'd go and explore the town a bit more himself. That worked. Maybe something entertaining would happen.


	13. The Meeting We've All Been Waiting For

Dlbn: Hey there everyone! It's time for another chapter of Iz Moth!

Nbld: Review corner! Thank you to suckishLEMONADE, ArcAngelCrystal, Invader Ang, Darkdagers, spike tashy, yaoifangirlforever1716, Mio-chan's Return, Invader Zhyr for reviewing! ZADR fan art for you all!

Dlbn: Now we have a special announcement! Iz Moth is now my highest reviewed fanfic on the site! It surpassed Hell is for High School by two reviews, making it have the most! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed any chapter of Iz Moth! Glomps from Zim for all!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but The Mask, the plot, and Krill the shrimp that once was and is gone off to war.

000

A good ten or twenty minutes later, Zim came across a building with the words 'The Mask' written on a glowing sign above the door. There was no line outside, so Zim wasn't sure if it was a club or not. He hoped so. He could sure use some excitement. He crossed the street without looking and approached the door. He knocked on it and a slit in the top of the door opened.

"You have your mask and amplifier?" A man on the other side asked.

"Mask and amplifier?" Zim wondered.

The eyes in the slit rolled before the little door on the slit slid shut. After a moment, the door opened. The man on the inside wore a blue mask with eye holes and a black suit.

"Look, anyone who wants to come into The Mask has to meet four qualifications, okay?" He said. "One, you have to be gay."

"Check." Zim nodded.

"Two, you must have a fake name."

Zim thought for a second. Well, the way he was blending in was like being an Invader, but was that too suggestive? Then it struck him. Invader Zim.

"Iz." Zim responded.

The man nodded. "Next, you have to wear a mask like this." The man pointed. "And lastly, you must have a voice amplifier." He pointed to a small silver dot on his neck. "Do you have either of those?"

"Well…no…" Zim said.

"First timer, eh? Well, we can get you settled with a mask and amplifier if you'd like. Twenty bucks each."

"Uh…sure. I can manage that." Zim pulled out a wallet.

The man ushered him inside the entranceway before shutting the door. It didn't look like much from where Zim had been standing, but off to the right was a counter. Another man stood behind it, his mask black.

"Need an amplifier and a Mask?" The man behind the counter wondered.

Zim nodded. "Yeah."

The man smiled. "Color?"

Zim looked through the list of colors the man gave him. He smiled when he came across ruby, the same color as his eyes in Irken mode.

"Ruby works for me."

The man handed him a ruby mask and a silver amplifier. It looked like something you'd use in the military. Zim put the mask over his eyes and tied it in the back, the ribbons on the end hanging onto his neck.

"Now, once you set this to the voice you want, there's no going back. So pick wisely."

Zim nodded and pressed the amplifier next to his neck. He fiddled with the buttons until his voice was deeper, closer in tone to his father's. He liked it. "I'm good."

The man nodded. "Just press it against your neck and the amplifier will fuse." He instructed.

Zim did as told.

"Say something."

"Something?" Zim asked.

"There you go. Is that good?"

Zim nodded. "How do I take it off?"

"Just push on the silver part and the amplifier will pop out."

Zim did what the man said and the silver button fell into his hand. "Where's the rest of the amplifier?" He wondered.

"Once it's set, it goes into the silver disk. Be careful. These are easy to get lost." The man handed Zim a small case that snapped shut. "Keep it in this." He ordered.

Zim nodded. "Thanks." He put the item in his pocket.

"Now that will be forty bucks."

Zim counted the money out and handed it over. The man recounted.

"Have fun, kid." He said. "Don't be a stranger."

"Thanks. I won't." Zim was ushered from the counter by the doorman and he pushed through another door.

The inside of The Mask was dark, but bright colored lasers cut through the dark and lit faces, hidden by masks. Zim's eyes took only a second to adjust since he had good night vision as an Irken. He slipped through an emptier part of the crowd and took in the sights. A smoke machine left light smoke scaling across the floor by a bar counter. Very few people were at the counter. Most of them were either dancing or sitting on lounge chairs in a back corner, making out and flirting with one another. Zim went to the counter and took a seat. He didn't have much of a problem with socializing in gay bars, but he was a bit thirsty from all the walking and talking he'd done to get into the club. A bartender walked over to him.

"New here?" He wondered.

"You could tell?" Zim asked, briefly wondering if the man was gay as well or not.

"I've never seen you before, and most people don't hang out over here. I think you could tell."

"Yeah, I guess." Zim laughed.

"What can I get for you?"

"Uh…soda?"

"Coke?"

"I guess, sure."

The man pulled a drink off the shelf and popped the bottle top off it before giving it to Zim. "If you need anything else, just ask."

"I will, thanks." Zim responded as the bartender left. He took a sip of his drink and surveyed the room again.

The dancing the humans were doing with one another wasn't much different from the way Zim would dance with other males back home. Some people were grinding a bit more than he was used to doing, but maybe if he found the right person, it would come easy to him. Krill hadn't been into the grinding when they saw one another last. Krill. How could Zim be looking for a hookup when he had Krill? Of course, he'd probably never see Krill again, so what did it matter? Maybe Krill had someone on the base, anyway. Someone his age. Why would he waste time with a teenager, anyway? Zim couldn't find a reason. He was probably just hoping for a cheap lay, or fame for getting with a Prince. But that didn't change how Zim felt about him, still being in…dare he call it love?

000

Dib walked into The Mask without a problem and surveyed the crowd, looking to see if there was anyone interesting. It was Thursday, so that would end up being a big 'no'. Then a teenager, or what looked like a teenager at the least, sitting backwards on a barstool caught his eye. He was casually leaning against the counter and drinking a brown liquid from a bottle of soda. He had a ruby mask on and chestnut colored hair. The same color as Zim's…no. it wouldn't be. He didn't know about this place…did he? Dib inched through the crowd, dancing with a few men who got in his way. Once at the bar, he noted that the guy's bottle was almost empty. Dib waved over the bartender.

"Heyya, Moth." The bartender smiled. "How long have you been here?"

"Just got here." Dib answered.

"Oh. Coke again?"

"Uh, yeah and uh…what's he drinking?" Dib nodded at the new guy.

"Same thing."

"Then make it two."

"Found someone fascinating, huh?" The bartender chuckled. "He's new here."

"Oh yeah? You get a name?"

"No, sorry. Not in my job description."

Dib sighed looked like he had some work to do. He gathered his courage and walked over to the boy. "Can I refill that?" He offered.

The boy turned, smiling. "Uh…I'm good, thanks." He responded. His voice was deep, but that was probably because of the amplifier in his neck. He didn't look much older than Dib.

"Here." Dib handed the drink to him anyway. "Please?"

The boy smiled softly. "Thanks." He said, taking the drink. "Have a seat."

"Thanks." Dib sat on the stool next to the brunette. "I'm Moth, by the way."

"Iz." The boy answered, taking a drink.

"You new here?"

He nodded. "Just moved to town at the start of the week."

"Really?" Dib wondered. "And you just happened upon this place?"

"I was going for a walk." Iz shrugged. "Things were boring at home. I live alone, so…"

"Alone?" Dib wondered. "You can't be much older than me."

"How old are you?"

"16."

"Same age."

"And you live alone?"

"Spat with my parents."

"That sucks."

"Eh." Iz shrugged. "What about you?"

"It's me and my dad and my sister. Mom died when I was young." Dib shrugged. "And dad's never home, so it's like it's just me and my sister, most of the time."

"That stinks."

"I guess." Dib smiled.

000

After talking for a few hours, Dib and Iz left the club together.

"So you headed home now?" Dib asked.

"Nowhere else to go." Iz shrugged. "Are you?"

"Yeah, I am." Dib responded.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around, right?"

"Yeah, sure." Dib said. He and Iz shook hands. Dib started to walk away, but then he heard Iz's voice.

"Hey, uh…what are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Oh…well…I was planning on going to The Mask again."

"You…wanna meet up?"

"At The Mask?" Dib smiled. "Sure. What time?"

"Uh…is eight good?"

"Perfect." Dib nodded.

"Okay. Well, bye, then."

"Bye."


	14. An Attack!

Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! Time for another chapter of Iz Moth! After some careful debating, I decided to leave in the first scene's details, which are a bit harsh. If you are uncomfortable with graphic/violent scenes, then please skip. I'll write another warning where the details start, so you can just read the beginning if you want. Also, please see the note at the end of the chapter.

Nbld: Review corner! Thank you to spike tashy, suckishLEMONADE, IheartZimwithallmyheart15, Darkdagers, Invader Ang, Zahara, yaoifangirlforever1716, Invader Zhyr, joy2theworlddannyphantom, ArcAngelCrystal, Invader Ash, and Mio-chan's Return.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but The Mask and Krill, the shrimp that plagues Zim's thoughts. All other characters, places, and species belong to Jhonen C. Vasquez; god of all that first got me into fanfics. Seriously, I just typed 'Invader Zim' into Google and came up. Kind of funny.

000

Zim felt his heart flutter as Moth walked away. Did he just make a date with a human? Cool…in a way. His feelings for Krill came back to the surface.

"Oh, what do I care?" Zim asked the air. He pressed the button on the amplifier and making it pop out of his neck, changing his voice back to normal. "It's just some club fling. Why should it matter?" He walked down the road towards home.

Moth, though Zim knew by the nickname policy that it wasn't his real name, seemed like an okay guy. He was so much different from Dib. Ugh. Why did all things lead back to Dib?

"He's just some punk who can't shut his damn mouth." Zim told himself, removing his mask and shoving it into his pocket. "Why am I thinking about him all the time?"

"Thinking about a guy all the time, huh?" A teenage-sounding voice asked.

Zim turned in time to catch a glimpse of a boy in red running into an alleyway. "Yeah. Some arrogant jerk that I hate." He answered.

"Sounds like love to me, kid."

"Gay love, if anything." Another voice said.

A flash of green passed Zim's eyes.

"I don't love him. I loathe him with every fiber of my being." Zim sneered.

"Sure you do." The original voice chuckled, three more following suit.

_Don't show fear, Zim. Don't show fear._

"Maybe we should beat the truth out of you?" Another voice, another flash of color. This time blue.

"Or the gay out of him." A third voice and a flash of white.

"I'm armed." Zim bluffed. "And you don't wanna mess with me."

A chain came out of the darkness and wrapped around his left wrist. "What the…" Zim pulled his arm, trying to either break the chain or pull the person holding it out under the streetlight.

Laughter.

"That won't help you." The voice that matched the red flash snickered.

"Worthless effort." Agreed the green flash.

Another chain came at him from an alley, but Zim kicked it away before it could get close. He didn't see another chain coming at him, which caught his right ankle, wrapping tightly. The kid on the other end yanked his foot out, making him land on his back with an 'oof'.

"Look, I don't know what you want out of me, but this isn't the way to get it." Zim sneered.

"Oh, we don't want anything from you." The leader said. "Just to beat the gay out. Maybe you won't ever trust guys again."

"I'm not gay." _Liar_.

"Then why do you always think about another guy?" White flash asked.

"He's holding a grudge against me and he's a moron." Zim said, sitting up on his elbows. "I'm confused by him is all."

With that, the streetlights snapped off. Zim groaned. What kind of people had streetlights that shut off during the deepest part of night, since Moth had said it was 1 AM before they left? Without a moon, there was no light to show Zim the way. What if he got lost? For now, he had to think of a way out of this.

000 WARNING, GRAPHIC PART STARTS NOW. PLEASE SKIP IF UNCOMFOMORTABLE. THANK YOU AND ENJOY! 000

Two more chains came at him and he twisted his body to try and avoid them, but they latched on and held tight. Zim twisted again and again, trying to free himself. He arched up from the ground and kicked out, but it was no use. The chains were thick and tight. Four figures walked out into the street and stopped near him. Even with his night vision, Zim couldn't make out their faces, or even the colors he had seen before. One man handed his chain to another. The ones holding the chains connected to his wrists walked forward and yanked hard, pulling him up into a sitting position. They yanked up and forced him to stand. The one who had handed off his chain went behind Zim. He felt something hard crack against his back and he fell forward. He dangled like that for a moment, leaning forward with his arms behind him. The boys holding the chains on his arms yanked them back and down, and the other two hauling his feet out from under him. Zim collapsed to his knees. The two with his wrists went behind him and crossed, pulling tight and crossing his arms. The teen who had hit him walked in front of him and pressed the object under his chin, tilting it up. Zim's Irken eyes were shining under his hologram and his antennae were flailing, knowing the gravity of the situation he was in.

"I think it's about time you got your beating, huh?" The leader chuckled. He let Zim's chin drop and backed up.

The next thing Zim felt was something connecting with his cheek and force his head to snap to the side. Zim sat that way for a moment before the object was used to bring his face back to face the leader. The leader reeled back and struck Zim again, this time hitting him across the side of the head. Zim slumped forward as his head snapped to the right. He let out a long moan and his head was tilted back to the leader. The leader reeled back again.

"Stop." Zim managed to force out, his cheek throbbing and chin probably broken.

The boys laughed. "Not until we're done." White flash snickered. "Now be a good boy and take what's coming to you."

Another blow to the side of the head. Zim felt a warm liquid sliding down his forehead.

"I think you hurt him, Boss." Green flash said, not seeming to care.

"Oh, I'll more than hurt him by the time we're through." The leader chortled.

"Stop." Zim ordered again.

This time, the object hit him hard in the stomach. He tried to slouch forward, but the ones holding his arms pulled back, keeping him in place. The object hit his stomach again and again. His squeedly spooch was about to rupture. He could feel it.

"Stop!" Zim ordered, weaker than before.

The beating didn't stop. Another good fifty blows to the head and stomach left Zim semiconscious by the time the leader backed up to examine his handiwork. Suddenly, the boys holding his arms back let him slouch forward. They walked back to their original spots and pulled his arms forward before slamming him into the ground. Zim moaned. The leader went behind him and the one holding his legs spread them apart. Zim moaned again.

"Now it's time for the real fun to begin." The leader chuckled.

Zim heard a belt come undone and a buckle unclasp. Oh god. They were going to rape him…The leader caressed Zim's backside, grabbing his ass harshly in his hand. Zim arched forward to the ground a bit, but the people-could he even call them people anymore?-holding him down pulled him back, stopping his movement. The leader chuckled. "I see we were right." He said. "You do like it up the ass, huh?"

"Never…never had it…" Zim hissed. "Not gay." He'd maintain that as long as he could.

The leader chuckled and pressed a throbbing erection against Zim's backside.

000 GRAPHIC PART ENDS HERE. THANK YOU, RATHER YOU READ OR NOT! 000

Zim knew he was in trouble. He activated the spider legs in his PAK, six long pointed appendages popping from his PAK, one carrying a gun he had made the day before.

"Holy fuck." Blue flash cursed. "What the fuck are you, pal?"

Zim didn't answer as his spider legs wrapped around the chains and pulled, making the clasps shatter and bounce on the ground. Zim used the legs to pick himself up off the ground. Once he was on his own two feet, his spider legs lashed out and brushed the three lackeys off like paper. Zim turned to the leader, who was staring agape and shaking in his boots. Zim used his spider legs to arch himself up from the ground and walk menacingly towards the one who assaulted him. The boy tried to run, but two spider legs quickly wrapped around his waist and turned him to face Zim.

"What are you…?" The leader asked.

Zim snarled. "I'm the guy you just tried to rape." He let his spider legs throw the boy against one of the buildings and scuttled back. The three lackeys went to aid their leader, who was whimpering and moaning. Zim used his spider legs to run down the road. They propelled him into the air and carried him across buildings. He reached one that still had a light on for the ground floor. He retracted his spider legs and rang the doorbell. When no one answered, he pressed it over and over again until someone finally opened it.

"Do you have any idea what…? Oh my. What happened?" It was a woman.

"I was attacked." Zim said, coughing up a bit of blood.

"Oh, dear. Charles! Call 911!" The woman yelled into the house. "Come in, now, please. Let's get you fixed up a bit."

About ten minutes later, Zim sat on Charles and the woman's couch with a hot cup of tea in his hand. The last cop left. Zim hadn't been able to give much of a description, and he was sure the punks were long gone, but he was more concerned about his squeedly spooch. If it was ruptured, he'd have to go back home. He didn't have the means to fix it.

"Can we call your parents for you?" The woman asked.

"I'm 19." _Lie._ "I live alone."

"Oh, dear." The woman shook her head. "Too many babies are raising themselves, these days."

"My parents passed on." _Lie again!_

"Oh, you poor thing!"

"You should stay here for the night." Charles told him. "We'll bring you home in the morning."

"I'd rather not be more of a bother." Zim shook his head.

"Oh, it's no bother at all. We'll just set up the guest room." She turned to her husband. "Go set up the guest room."

"By 'we', she always means me." Charles muttered and left the room.

"Don't worry about him." She smiled softly.

The front door opened and someone walked in. "I'm home!" Torque's voice called.

Shit. Torque walked into the room and stared at Zim. Zim realized he must have been a sight, a heavy blanket around his shoulders, bruises and blood on his head, shirt torn a bit, and cup of steaming coffee nestled in his hands. "Hi." He greeted softly.

"Shit." Torque cursed. "What happened to _you_?" He walked over and sat next to Zim. "Are you okay?"

"I don't think there's any internal damage." Zim said. "Just maybe a broken rib or two. But I'll be fine." He shrugged.

"He got jumped in the streets." Torque's mom, or who Zim now guessed was his mom, informed.

"Shit, man. You see who did it?"

Zim shook his head. "No streetlights, and no moonlight."

"That really sucks. Are you staying here the night?"

"I don't want to be an annoyance, I…"

"He's staying. No one home to go back to." She stood and left the room. "Excuse me."

Torque glared at Zim. "Okay, liar. What did she mean by 'no one to go home to'?"

"I live alone." Zim looked away. "I don't expect you to believe that, before you say anything."

Torque blinked. "You know, not many people talk to Dib like you did at school today." He smiled. "It's very ballsy."

"Thanks…I think…"

"It's a change." Torque shrugged. "But, look, don't do it again, oaky? Dib's not trying to be mean, he just hates being lied to."

"I don't blame him." Zim shook his head. "I wish I could make it up to him."

"Don't talk to him the way you did again, and you'll be okay." Torque stood. "I'll show you to the guest room."

Zim nodded and stood, depositing the coffee mug on the table and the blanket on the couch. He followed Torque out of the room, slowly and slightly limping.

When Zim went to school the next day, Torque was walking with him. Thanks to the fact that Irkens healed very quickly, he was walking the way he had before he got jumped. People noticed he was with Torque and were beginning to whisper. Zim still had a scar above his left eye, which might have caused most whispering.

"Look, I appreciate all of this, and I swear I'll pay you back somehow, but…" Zim looked to where Keef and the others were sitting.

"Yeah, you've got friends here, I know." Torque smiled. "Look, if everything you told me last night is true," Zim had told him about his and his mother's argument, but had left out the illegal items, Krill, and him being an alien, "then I'll talk to Dib and see if I can get his head out of his ass, okay?"

"It was all true." Zim nodded. "And thanks."

Torque nodded and ran off towards his friends, who were waiting at the school steps. Zim walked to Keef and the others.

"Hey, I see you came in with…" Keef's smile faded. "Oh my god! What _happened_?"

"I got jumped going home last night." Zim muttered, looking away.

"Are you okay?" Gretchen asked.

"I'll be fine." Zim responded. "I can walk fine now."

"Now?" Gaz wondered.

"I had a bit of a limp yesterday, but…" Zim paused. "I got hit with something, quite a bit."

"Oh my." Another girl covered her mouth. She had dark hair and a brown mole on her forehead. Keef had introduced her as Morla.

"It's not a big deal." Zim waved his hand.

"So how'd you end up walking with Torque?" Keef asked. "You guys live near each other?"

"No, we don't." Zim said. "I managed to get away and went to an apartment for help. Turns out it was his."

"Oh." Keef smiled. "I thought maybe we had a story." He giggled.

Gaz shoved him sideways. "Knock it off." She ordered. "Torque's straight, and so is Zim."

Zim shifted to his other foot. "Y-yeah."

"Liar." Gretchen accused.

"S-shut up." Zim muttered to their laughter.

"_Are_ you lying?" Gaz questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I'm not, but…if people hear you, they might believe you."

A dark skinned boy, Dirge, rolled his eyes. "Who cares?" He asked.

"Well…yeah, I guess you have a point." Zim shrugged as the bell rang.

"Are you gonna be able to play baseball in gym today?" Keef asked. "We don't want you getting hurt worse playing."

"Oh, it's just baseball." Whatever that was. "How hard can it be?"

Dib yawned as his homeroom teacher spouted off information about the next school dance. He'd probably go with Sara…though the idea of showing up with Iz was a bit tempting. Dib chuckled. No one knew he was gay and Iz didn't know he went to school, or to where. Like that would ever happen. He'd have a better chance at getting _Zim_ to go to the dance with him. Wait. Why did he think that? He didn't like Zim. Dib looked over at Zim, who was conversing and laughing with Keef and Gretchen in the back corner. There was no way he'd ever ask him out. Why even joke about that? Zim would probably tell Keef, then Keef would tell other people, and then rumors would start. If rumors started, he would trace them back to Keef, then back to Zim, and then Dib would hate him again. After what Torque had said about Zim getting jumped, and the things Torque had told him about his home-life, Dib could understand the whole lying bit. Zim had said that he and his mother had been going head to head about a few things since Zim was about thirteen. Things had gotten to the highest point when his mother grounded him for something that Zim wouldn't go into detail with. Zim had met this older girl and wanted to hang out with her before she had to go back to her military base, but he was grounded. She had shown up at his house and talked with his father. Thinking his father had checked it over with his mom, Zim had gone out. But his mom hadn't said it was okay. They got into a huge fight and he just left. Sometimes Dib and his father didn't get along, but Dib had never felt the need to leave. What _had_ Zim done to get grounded in the first place? Must have been something huge if he hadn't been allowed to go out and spend time with someone who would soon be gone. The bell rang and Dib gathered his stuff.

"Are you sure Zim hadn't told you what he's in trouble for with his mom?" Rob asked Torque.

"No, he didn't say." Torque shook his head. "He just said it was no big deal."

"Must have been if his mom got mad at him for leaving the house." Dib said. "My dad would've let me stay out, if a friend was going away that soon after we met."

"I don't really believe him about an older girl, though." Torque said. "At the most, she was 17."

"Well, he didn't say how old, right?" Brian asked.

They all hushed as Zim and Keef left, Zim waving. Dib wiggled his fingers in response.

"No, he didn't." Torque responded, not seeming to have noticed Dib's slightly feminine greeting.

"So older could have been anything between 17 and…ancient." Rob snickered.

"18." Dib responded.

"18?"

"He said she was in the military, right?"

"True." Zita nodded. "My cousin wants to join, but he's a year too young; He's 17."

"So let's say she was 18."

"Kids! You'd better hurry along if you don't want to be late!" Their homeroom teacher informed.

Sara checked her watch. "We have two minutes!" She said.

They ran out of the room together.

000 END 000

Note: The scene with the warning involves a crime that is very serious in our country. Rape is a _crime_ and a _very serious_ event that men and women are subjected to each day. It should not be taken lightly.


	15. Forming New Bonds

Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! Before we begin the next chapter, I would just like to say sorry to all of those who were offended or disturbed by the scene with the warning. It wasn't necessary and I could have skipped over it, but I didn't for some strange reason. If I haven't lost any readers, then thank you all for coming to chapter 15.

Nbld: Review Corner! Thank you to spike tashy, Darkdagers, yaoifangirlforever1716, Invader Ang, ArcAngelCrystal, Mio-chan's Return, Invader Zhyr, and suckishLEMONADE for reviewing! Zim's illegal in this universe items for all! (Throws some out)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but The Mask and Krill the shrimp that went to god knows where. All other characters, places, species, and themes belong to the Almighty Jhonen Vasquez. The Invader Zim commentaries featuring him, which is every one of them but two) makes me crack up so much.

000

Zim watched Dib from across the room. He had caught Dib staring at him in homeroom, but Keef had said that that was probably because Torque had told him what happened. Maybe now Dib would be a bit more sensitive about all this stuff. Zim didn't want to lie to him again, but there were certain things no one needed to know. The whole 'alien prince' thing was one of them. Apparently, from the reaction of the kids who had jumped him, being gay was another thing. Zim sighed and looked back at the teacher, noticing Dib's eyes flicker in his direction. Had he been caught? Or was Dib looking at him for his own reasons? Zim hoped it was the second option. He didn't want Dib asking him anything, because he didn't know what he would say as an answer. Why _was_ he so interested in Dib all of a sudden? He had Moth now. Two men at once? Zim never thought he could see himself doing that, but here he was. Well, technically he wasn't with Krill anymore, and the whole Moth/Iz thing was probably only in the club, so he didn't really even have one man. Oh well. He liked to think he was a guy magnet. When the bell signified the end of class, Zim took his stuff and waited at the front of the classroom for Keef. Though the boy was a little annoying, and pretty clingy, Zim liked having him around. It was better than being alone.

"Ready for History?" Keef asked, yawning.

"No." Zim shook his head. "And obviously you aren't too keen about the idea, either."

Keef giggled. "I'd rather be home asleep." He said. "I can't wait to see how you hold your own in gym, though."

"Oh, I think I'll be fine."

000

Dib stood behind Zim in line to bat during gym practice later that day. He had been trying to think of something nice to say to Zim all day. But the words didn't come. The closest thing he got was, 'hey you're up, man', when Zim hadn't been paying attention to who was up next.

"So…" Dib tapped Zim on the shoulder, making him turn. "Nice hit earlier."

"Oh…thanks." Zim smiled softly. "You, too. A double, right?"

"Yeah." Dib nodded.

"You…uh play outside of gym?"

"No." Dib laughed. "Why?"

"You're a good player, is all."

"Thanks, you too. Uh…you're up again."

"Oh yeah…" Zim took the bat that the catcher was handing him and stepped up to the plate.

Dib watched as Zim missed making contact with the ball twice, then connected with it on the third swing. The ball sailed past the outfielders and kept on going. Dib hoped no one noticed him watching Zim run. The boy was pretty cute, he had to admit, but nothing like Iz. That was right! He had a date with Iz later that night! Good. Dib wanted to see him again. Iz hadn't given off too much information about himself, but Dib felt a little bad for him with his family situation. And Iz felt the same way for him. And he was cute to boot. Dib held out his hand for a high five when Zim crossed past home plate. The kids in the outfield were still trying to find the ball. Dib clenched his tight around Zim's hand and spun him around.

"Nice job." Dib said.

"Thanks." Zim responded. He looked down at their hands and lightly pulled his away.

"Sorry, man."

"Oh, no problem." Zim smiled and went to the back of the line as Dib stepped up to bat.

Dib swung the bat and connected with the extra ball the coach had handed the pitcher, since no one could find the one Zim hit. It sailed overhead and Dib ran. Once he saw that the ball was far enough out, he crossed home plate. Dib walked through the gates and back past the line. At the end of the line, Zim held out his hand for a high five. Once given one, he clasped Dib's fingers in his and spun him behind him.

"Good job." Zim smiled.

"Thanks." Dib smiled back. He lightly pulled his hand away.

Zim held onto his fingers a bit longer and then let go. Dib smiled softly at him. "Look, about the whole thing yesterday…"

"It's no big deal." Zim shrugged. "I was a jerk. Forgive me."

"Oh…you're fine." Dib said. "I shouldn't have held that grudge."

"No, I shouldn't have lied. You had a right to be mad."

"Well, we shouldn't have put you in a position to lie."

"I shouldn't be here in the first place." Zim sighed. "I'm sure Torque told you by now."

"Told me what?"

"You know what I mean."

Dib smiled sheepishly. "I guess I can't hide things from _you_, huh?"

"No, you can't."

They both laughed. Dib knew his face was flushing…but why? The coach blew his whistle for the game to end and the kids to return to the gym. Keef was immediately at Zim's side.

"Nice job today, buddy!" He said, hugging Zim around the shoulders.

"Thanks, Keef, you, too." Zim responded, lightly shoving Keef off.

Dib's friends were at his side a heartbeat later. "Nice game, guys." Torque slapped a hand on either of their backs.

"Ow." Zim said.

"Oh, sorry. Still sore?" Torque wondered.

"No, just messing with you."

The others laughed. Keef slapped Zim's arm. "You're funny."

"Thanks?" Zim wondered.

"We've got to have you on our team next time." Rob said. He'd been on Keef's team.

"Uh…yeah."

"Hey, they had two good players on their team."Keef giggled. "It's only fair."

"Hey, you're forgetting me." Torque said.

"No I'm not." Keef giggled.

Torque rolled his eyes. Dib had to laugh.

000

Once Skool was out, Zim sat with his friends from the school GLASS club on a picnic bench outside. Why had Dib been so…friendly…earlier? It didn't make sense. Well, Zim couldn't worry about it. He was meeting Moth at The Mask tonight, and he was happy.

"So, _Dib_ was being awfully friendly with our boy here." Keef said, nudging Zim a bit.

"Oh yeah?" Gaz asked. "What did he do? Only insult you once?"

"He…didn't insult me at all." Zim shrugged. "We got along in gym today. He gave me a high five."

"And held your hand for a moment." Keef giggled. "Are you sure he's not gay, Gaz?" Keef leaned forward on the bench and looked at Gaz.

"I'm very sure." Gaz rolled her eyes, but Zim noticed she was blushing a bit. He didn't say anything.

"Are you _sure_, sure? Cause you know…"

"Finish that sentence and loose all feeling below the waist." Gaz sneered.

Keef lay down on the top of the picnic bench behind him. "I can't wait for the _weekend_!" Keef said. "There's this club by my house, Moon and Star, and its grand opening for kids under 18 is tomorrow night!" He nudged Zim with his knee. "You wanna go?"

"Uh…I'm busy, Keef, sorry." Zim shook his head. "Maybe someone else can go."

"I can go." Gretchen held up her hand.

"Cool!" Keef smiled, though Zim could tell he was disappointed that Zim couldn't go.

They began making plans.

"Hey, finish up later." Dirge muttered. "The buses are here."

"Oh, alright." Keef sighed. "Let's go." He hoped off of the table.

Everyone but Gaz followed. "I'm waiting for my brother. He's got some after school thing with Torque and Brian." She informed.

"Alright." Keef smiled. "Bye guys! See you later!"

Zim waved and Gaz nodded. They both sat on the picnic table in silence until the buses left. Gaz shut off her game and put it away.

"Tired of playing?" Zim asked.

"Never." She said. "You, me. Talk, now."

"Okay…" Zim nodded. "What about?"

"My brother." Gaz responded. "The day he first met you, he was real upset about you lying to him."

"I know. I talked to him during gym and…"

"_I'm_ talking." Gaz sneered.

Zim wisely shut his mouth.

"And yesterday you and him got into a fight. Now he's being nice? What gives?"

Zim waited for a moment to make sure she was done. "I have no idea." He said. "It must have been what Torque told him."

"More lies from you?"

"What? No." Zim shook his head. "Look, I like your brother, okay? I don't want to hurt him."

"You…_like_ him?" She repeated.

"Yeah, we're friends, I guess." Zim responded. He caught her look. "Wait. You don't think I…? I'm _straight_. I don't think of guys that way."

"When you lie, your bottom lip twitches." Gaz smirked, cocking an eyebrow.

"It does?"

She snickered. "You don't know how to play it smooth, do you?"

Zim laughed a bit. "Truth be told, I hang with older men…er…people…more."

"Older men, huh?"

"Yeah, look, I'm gay, okay?" Zim asked. "That's why I got jumped. Cause the guys who jumped me guessed it. But I don't want people knowing, okay? So don't tell."

"Your secret is safe with me." Gaz said. "So are you gonna join GLASS, then?"

"I don't know." Zim shrugged. "Maybe. I kind of have things to do after school and…"

"Twitching lip."

"Fine, I'm embarrassed about it. It's okay to be gay back home, but here you just get jumped." He hoped up onto the top of the table and lay down. "I hate it here."

"You seem to be doing okay."

"I got _jumped_ last night, Gaz. Because they _thought_ I was gay." Zim said. "No proof, no nothing. Just accusations." He slammed his fist on the table. "I don't get this kind of treatment back home. Even if people there don't know the truth either, at least they respect me. I mean, I'm a _Prince_, for Slark's sake!" Zim caught himself. "I mean, uh…"

Gaz shook her head. "I don't know if you're being real with me or not, but you better not hurt my brother, alright?" She asked. "He's…kind of…"

"Gay, too?" Zim whispered.

"Well…don't you dare say a word or I'll find out where you live and slit your throat in your sleep."

"Noted." Zim nodded once. "I know how to keep my mouth shut."

"Good." Gaz said. "And in return, I won't tell anyone about your preferences."

Zim nodded again. "Deal."

000

Dib and his friends exited the school building a good half an hour after school had ended.

"Hey, Zim's still here." Torque nodded at the new kid. "Talking to Gaz."

"What else is new?" Dib rolled his eyes. "They're both friends with Keef, same social circle…"

"I wonder if Zim's like Keef." Brian said.

"Huh?" Dib look at him.

"Gay, man."

"Oh." Dib shrugged. "I doubt it. He doesn't act like Keef."

"_No one_ acts like Keef. Only Keef acts like Keef." Torque rolled his eyes. "Speaking of carrot top, I think he has a thing for you. That's why he thinks you're gay. Some obscure fantasy of his."

Dib shrugged. "Could be."

Gaz and Zim made their way over to them. "Hey." Gaz greeted. "Zim was keeping me company, don't start anything."

"I won't." Dib instinctively knew his sister meant that for him. "How you doing, Zim?" Dib asked. "Tired after your little homerun earlier?"

Zim laughed. "Naw, I'm good, man." He said. "I wish I had class tomorrow, too. I like baseball."

"Cool." Dib smiled.

"I don't think they ever found that ball, though." Brian informed.

"Guess I don't know my own strength, huh?" Zim laughed.

"Yeah." Dib chuckled. "You going home now?"

"Huh? Yeah." Zim nodded. "What else am I gonna do?"

"Well…you wanna go with us and get ice cream?" Dib offered.

"Oh, uh…" Zim flushed. "Thanks, but uh…I'm…"

"You said you had nothing else to do." Gaz said, a warning tone creeping into her voice.

Dib wondered what Zim and Gaz had been talking about before he, Torque, and Brian walked outside. "We won't be out long." Dib said. "I have a shit load of homework to do."

"That sucks." Zim answered.

"I didn't finish a couple in-class worksheets for History and one for Math. Then we have something for English to do, so I'll be busy a while."

"I bet."

"Then let's stop talking and get going." Torque turned both Dib and Zim around and forced them forward. "Don't want to waste time."

"But, I…" Zim tried to protest.

"Oh come on, just let loose for a bit and come with us." Brian ordered with a chuckle. He joined Torque in shoving Zim and Dib forward.

"They can walk on their own, you idiots." Gaz sneered at them.

Torque and Brian gave Zim and Dib one last shove forward and they stumbled, hands brushing. Dib felt his face get hot. Why was he blushing?


	16. The ZaDr We've All Been waiting For

Dlbn: Me here with another chapter! Woot! I got out of class early, so I thought, "why not post another chapter?" The end result was this chapter. Now, since where I wanted it to end made this chapter 9 pages long, I decided to skim it down a bit…also because the scene I originally wrote at the end is pretty graphic. I'm gonna tone that down and put the real version up on adult fan fic. This version has hints, but not reading it won't affect any of the story line. Somehow, even though I skimmed it down, this si still 8 pages. Hm…

Nbld: Review corner! Thank you to Darkdagers, Invader Ang, spike tashy, Mio-chan's return, morgana starfire, yaoifangirlforever1716, Cecily, Invader Zhyr, and ArcAngelCrystal for reviewing! Yaoi Fanart for all!

000

Earth ice cream wasn't as bad as Zim had thought it would be, considering he had been raised eating gourmet food prepared by his mother's chefs back home. Dib wasn't as hostile towards him as he was on Zim's first day of school, but Torque had said he'd talked to him and he hoped Torque had. Seemed like it. They all got along fairly well. They were only there about half an hour before Dib and Gaz had to go home to do homework. Torque had offered to walk Zim home, but he didn't want anyone finding out where he lived just yet. Torque said it was to make sure he wouldn't get attacked, but Zim insisted that it was daytime and therefore no one would attack him. And, though Zim didn't tell Torque, he wanted to rest and make a few new things before he went out with Moth that night. He wondered if meeting Moth for a date would be any different then just meeting at the club on accident. Moth was pretty cool, even if Zim didn't know him too well just yet. Zim had made his own taser and something that could be classified as really strong pepper spray out of a few household items he had. He had put them on the table with a flashlight he had wisely bought with forged money shopping a few days before. Around 7:00 he started to get ready for his big night out. Dressed in a long sleeved black shirt that fanned out over his hands, dark jeans, and dark sneakers, Zim was ready to go by 7:40. He didn't remember how long it took to get from his house to The Mask, so he made sure he had all his weapons and his forged money and his keys before shutting the door, locking it, and disappearing out into the night.

000

Dib waited on a barstool inside The Mask at about five minutes after eight. He had checked his watch about every minute since he got there. Still no sign of Iz. The bartender must have noticed Dib's nervousness, because he walked over to him.

"You seem tense." The bartender informed, handing Dib a coke.

"The guy I met yesterday, the new guy? He said he'd meet me here at eight, and its eight-o-five." Dib responded.

"So he's five minutes late." The bartender waved him off. "Have you _seen_ the line?"

"Have _you_?"

The bartender nodded. "When I was coming in to work." He said. "Just give your little friend time and he'll show up."

"I hope so."

"Isn't that him?" The bartender nodded towards the door.

Dib's eyes widened and a smile brushed across his lips as he recognized Iz in the crowd. He wore all dark clothing and his ruby mask, the only flash of color on him besides his chestnut colored hair. Iz must have noticed him, because he was making his way to the bar. Dib felt his heart do flips. Iz was so hot! Iz stopped by him and hopped up on a barstool.

"Sorry I'm late, Moth." He said, in his deep voice that reminded Dib of older men. "I didn't think it would take so long to get here, and the line was hell."

The bartender snorted an 'I told you so' and a giggle, and walked off after setting a coke on the counter for Iz.

"No big deal." Dib said. "I knew you'd show."

Iz smiled and took a swig from the coke bottle. He seemed a bit nervous.

"You okay?" Dib asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Iz smiled. "Look, uh…"

"Yeah?"

"I heard there was some heavy gang activity in the area yesterday." Iz said. "I just wanted to warn you to be careful."

"Oh, thanks." Dib smiled. "But I have pepper spray. That normally works."

"Yeah, I'd imagine so."

They laughed.

"Look…do you dance?" Dib asked.

"Dance?" Iz wondered. "I love to."

"So what do you say we finish up our drinks and do a little dancing? We can't be drinkers all night."

"What-ers?"

"Drinkers." Dib responded. "People who sit at the bar and drink all night long?"

"Oh." Iz smirked slyly. "No, I don't think we'd like to be those very much."

Dib smiled. Things were going pretty smoothly.

000

Zim surpassed a moan as he and Moth moved simultaneously to the beat of the music. Zim didn't know what the song was, but the girl's lyrics didn't make sense. Whoever Peter, Paul, and Mary were, Zim hoped he'd never meet them. He tried to block out the song and concentrate solely on moving to the beat and the feel of Moth's hands on his hips as Zim grinded lightly against him, feeling something in the boy's crotch-area. Moth pressed what only could have been an erection against Zim's backside. "Sorry." Moth said, leaning close to Zim's fake ear. Since Zim's antennae were down in complete submission, like they often were when dancing with someone, he could feel Moth's breath as he whispered apologies for his desire. Zim just ground against him in response and threw his head back, landing it on Moth's shoulder.

"It's fine by me." Zim whispered back.

He felt Moth shiver from his words and his antennae twitched in joy. Moth leaned down and nipped at the side of Zim's throat, having easy access to it from the position Zim was in against him. Zim moaned and arched his neck back further. Moth began sucking lightly on the flesh, rolling it between his teeth with his tongue. Oh by Slark above, it felt good! Zim let out a long moan and intertwined his fingers in Moth's hair. The boy was surprisingly skilled for being Zim's age. Zim found that most guys around 16 didn't know what they were doing and bit the skin too hard. Moth pulled back and nuzzled his chin where he had sucked on Zim's neck. Zim was sure he'd have a hickey in the morning, but that would be on his real flesh and no one could see it through the hologram. When Moth pulled away, Zim used his left hand to hold his chin up and off to the side, giving himself access to Moth's neck. Zim ran his tongue along the pasty flesh and felt Moth writhe against him. At the end of the trail his tongue was making, Zim nipped and tugged at the skin. Moth moaned and pulled Zim closer, his erection straining against his pants, as well as Zim's rear end. Finally, Zim pulled back and kissed Moth's neck where he had nibbled. Moth chuckled and leaned to Zim's ear.

"How about we take this elsewhere?" Moth wondered, nuzzling Zim's neck.

"Where do you have in mind?" Zim asked.

"There's a hotel not too far from here that we can use." Moth said. "Very accommodating to gay couples."

Zim flushed. A hotel? What the hell did Moth have in mind for them? Instead of asking, Zim just nodded. Moth spun him around and pulled him off to the exit.

000

Dib pushed open the door to a hotel down the road that openly allowed gay patrons. He and Iz walked to the counter and were greeted by a bubbly blonde. She grinned widely at them.

"Well, hello there, cuties!" She giggled. "How may I help you?"

"Could we get a room for the night?" Dib asked.

"Of course you can, silly! The vacancy sign is lit up after all!" A giggle. "One bed, I presume?"

Dib nodded, flushing a bit.

"How long, hon?"

"Just the night." Iz answered for Dib.

"Alright." She typed on the computer. "We have a few rooms. Do you want a certain floor?"

"Uh…no, it doesn't matter to me." Dib looked to Iz. "Iz?" He asked.

"The highest you got, please." Iz responded.

Dib was a bit taken back.

"Ah, you're in luck!" She giggled. "We have a room on the 45th floor and no one else is on the floor! Would that work for you boys?"

"Perfect." Dib grinned.

"That will be $160." She informed.

Dib started to pull out his wallet, but Iz grabbed his wrist. "I got this." He said.

"You sure?"

Iz nodded. He pulled out a wallet and flipped through bills, counting them softly. He handed the exact change to the woman and they were each given a key.

"There you go, boys." She giggled. "You can call for room service. Ten bucks a call."

"Thanks." Dib grasped Iz's wrist and yanked him off to the elevator. "You didn't have to pay." He said. "It was my idea, after all."

"No, it's fine." Iz waved him off as Dib pressed the button marked with an up arrow. "I came into a large sum of money recently." He shrugged one shoulder. "I'm happy to treat."

"Then let me pay for room service."

Iz shrugged. "If you insist. I mean, I don't mind…"

"Stop right there." Dib put a finger on Iz's lips. "You're not paying."

"If you say so." Iz said, as the elevator dinged to alert them that it was on the ground floor.

The doors slid open and Dib pulled Iz inside. The doors slid shut and Iz pressed the button marked '45'. The elevator began its ascent, and Dib pulled Iz close.

"What's up…?" The clueless look on Iz's face was adorable.

"What do you think?" Dib pressed his lips to Iz's.

The other boy froze before wrapping his arms around Dib's neck. Dib caught Iz's bottom lip in his teeth, stopping his response. He suckled lightly on the flesh, drawing a moan from him. Iz's tongue snaked out from between his lips and slid into Dib's mouth, caressing his own tongue. Dib moaned in response and nibbled on his lip a bit harder. Iz's left hand wandered and slid down Dib's back, his fingers pressing lightly into his flesh. Dib pulled his tongue back from Iz's and slid it into Iz's mouth instead, running against the bottom of his top teeth. Iz moaned. The elevator dinged, interrupting them. Dib looked at the level number and noticed that it was, thankfully, on 45. Vaguely remembering that no one else was on the floor, he pulled Iz out into the hall and pressed him against the wall. Iz lightly arched against Dib and he pressed his hands to the wall, one on either side of Iz's head. Dib pressed back and their clothed crotches met. Dib could make out a slight shape underneath Iz's jeans and felt his own hardness lightly throb. Iz moaned and the sound was music to Dib's ears. Iz pulled away suddenly.

"We…should go to our room, you know." he said.

"I know." Dib placed a kiss on the corner of Iz's mouth. "But this is quite fun, if I do say so myself."

Iz chuckled. "Suppose someone comes up here."

"We're the only one with a room on this floor." Dib rolled his eyes. "We should be fine. I doubt the help around here would even notice."

"I guess you're right." Iz mumbled. He hooked his thumbs in the belt loops of Dib's jeans and pulled him close, locking their lips.

Dib smirked into the kiss and licked along Iz's bottom lip. Iz moaned and slid his arms around Dib's back, slipping his hands into his back jeans pockets. Dib put his hands on Iz's shoulders and lightly squeezed, pulling him closer and hoping he'd get the hint. Apparently Iz did, because he lightly squeezed Dib's ass. Dib pulled from him. "What room are we?" He asked

Iz looked at his room key. "19." He said.

Dib nodded and pulled away. Iz's hands left Dib's pockets. Dib put an arm around Iz's shoulders and Iz put one of his around Dib's waist. He leaned his head against Dib's shoulder as he walked.

"So…what do you have planned, anyway?" Iz wondered.

"What do you mean?" Dib's eyes scanned room numbers for 19.

"I mean…why'd you ask me to come here?"

"So we could have some alone time, of course." Dib chuckled, nuzzling his chin against the top of Iz's head.

"Yeah…" Iz chuckled. "But what kind of alone time?" He slid his hand back into Dib's rear jeans pocket.

"Oh, you know." Dib chuckled. "Some romantic alone time." He chuckled. "Here's our room."

Iz swiped his room key and the light on the door lit green. He pushed the door open. The hotel room wasn't much special, but the sheets appeared to be satin, or an equivalent.

"Nice room." Iz whistled.

"You're telling me." Dib was pleased to notice that the bed was more twin-sized than anything. They'd have to snuggle against one another in order for them both to fit on it. That was fine with him. He planned on giving Iz one _hell_ of a night, anyway. And from the looks of how things were going, Iz was going to give him a good time as well. Dib watched Iz as he looked around the room, trying to make sense of his surroundings. The other male was quite intoxicating, he had to admit. He'd never met any guy in a bar that fascinated him the way Iz did, and with how things were going, it seemed he never would. Not even people at school were as interesting. Sure, he had friends, but not like Iz. Iz hardly knew him, but Dib felt like he'd known Iz all his life. He wondered if Iz felt the same.

"Well?" Dib wondered.

"Well?" Iz turned back to him.

Dib closed the gap between the two of them and kissed Iz. He pulled back after a few moments. "You know what I mean."

Iz flushed and pulled Dib close by the waistband. They kissed again and Dib found his hands roaming along Iz's back. Iz moaned slightly and slid his fingers under Dib's shirt against the muscles against his stomach. The butterfly touches along his skin made Dib shiver in anticipation. He'd had make-out sessions with other men before, but none had turned him on the way that Iz was now. Dib slid one hand up under Iz's shirt and rubbed up to his chest, feeling the muscles that defined Iz's stomach. Dib moved them back until Iz's knees hit the bed. Iz tumbled backwards onto the mattress, away from Dib, and stared up at him.

"Are you going to join me?" Iz practically purred.

Dib smirked and crawled over Iz, only to have Iz inch himself back to the pillows. Dib followed and leaned down, pressing light kisses along his jaw-line until their lips met. Iz's tongue snaked along Dib's bottom lip to ask for entry, to which Dib obliged. Their tongues met in the middle and rubbed sensuously against one another. Dib couldn't help the throaty moan that escaped his lips. Iz moaned back to him and thrust his hips up in a rolling motion. Dib moaned and rolled down into Iz's in response, their painfully-hard erections rubbing together. Another moan resounded from Iz's throat. They pulled apart and Dib slipped Iz's shirt up over his head, Iz lifting his arms to aid in the removal. They kissed again before Iz slid Dib's shirt up and over his head. Dib had to admit, the other was very well-muscled for only being 16, if that _was_ his real age. Dib wondered if that gave away any hints to other areas, the thought making his skin flush a light red. Iz chuckled and ran his hand up Dib's chest to lightly play with a dusty-colored nipple. His fingers oddly felt more like claws than human fingers, but Dib ignored it. The fact that he was horny as hell was probably making him feel everything ten-fold, so the claws were more than likely just fingers. Dib followed Iz's lead and dusted his fingers across his toned stomach, the lack of pressure making it almost like his fingers weren't touching the other at all. Either way, Iz moaned and leaned up to capture Dib's bottom lip between his teeth. Dib pressed Iz down on the pillows and followed him down so his lip wouldn't tear. Iz's teeth felt a bit sharper than Dib was used to, now that he thought about it, but once again he called his horniness into play and blamed it on that. Iz's skin had a light flush to it, a bit darker than the flush on Dib's skin, so he was either embarrassed or aroused. Maybe his teeth really _were_ this sharp? Naw, that was ridiculous! Dib pulled back lightly and Iz let go of his lip. Dib knew it was swollen, since Iz had been lightly sucking on it just moments before, but it didn't bother him. He simply leaned down and nibbled on Iz's bottom lip in response, lightly suckling on it. Iz's hand switched to Dib's other nipple as the black haired male worked on his lip. Dib saw Iz's eyes roll into the back of his head a bit and he smirked, happy he could bring about a reaction of that caliber. Dib's eyes slid shut and he let his fingers do the walking for him, exploring every nook and cranny between Iz's ribs and the bumps that made up the taught muscles in his chest. Iz rolled his hips up into Dib's once more, causing a moan from the male on top of him. Dib rolled his hips down and they found a steady rhythm as Iz's arms wrapped around Dib's neck, Dib's fingers trailing up and across his collarbone, before going back down and brushing against Iz's nipple. Iz moaned as Dib massaged the tender bud between his fingers. Dib switched to the other nipple once the first was brought to a complete erected state. As he worked his magic on Iz's nipple, Iz's nails begun to lightly dig into Dib's back, adding to Dib's feeling of claws instead of hands. Dib ignored it once more. Dib pulled back from Iz.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Dib asked, kissing Iz's forehead.

"I'm sure." Iz smiled softly and pressed his lips to Dib. "Are you?"

"Of course." Dib nodded. "I wish we had a couple things, though…"

Iz motioned to the dresser with his head. "Maybe luck is on our side?" He offered.

(A/N: Okay, me here. Hi. So, this is the part where I had to do some editing to make it fan-fic appropriate. Let me know if it's too choppy!)

Dib smirked. "Let me see…" He rifled through a drawer in the nightstand and found what he was looking for. He settled back over Iz, sitting on his calves over the other male, with the lubricant and condom in one hand. "Are you sure you want to go this far? I'm fine with just making out, if that's all you want."

"We're here, aren't we?"

"We just met."

Iz rolled his hips up and contacted his erection with Dib's. Dib moaned. "Don't tell me that doesn't feel good."

"Well, yeah, of course it feels good." Dib shrugged. "Why wouldn't it?"

"So why shouldn't we continue?" Iz tilted his head to the side cutely and slightly licked his bottom lip, before grasping it between his teeth and rolling it out.

Dib shivered from anticipation. "I have no reason." He leaned forward and kissed Iz on the forehead. "Ready?" He asked, going back to where he had been, his hands propping him up over Iz, whose hair was lightly matted to his head from sweat.

"Very." Iz nodded.

Dib sat back on his calves again, ignoring the slight burn in them, and unclasped Iz's belt, his fingers trembling and fumbling in anticipation. Iz chuckled and clasped Dib's hands in his own. "You're trembling." He said, bringing one of Dib's hands to his lips and kissing the knuckles. His tongue snaked out and whipped down Dib's knuckles.

"Anticipation." Dib shivered again. "I can't help it."

Iz smiled softly. "It's cute."

"Are you just saying that because we're going to…?"

"No." Iz firmly shook his head once.

Dib chuckled. "I know." He said. He lightly took his hand back from Iz and went back to work undoing the male's belt.

Iz reached up softly and slid Dib's belt out from the hook holding it shut. Dib gave him a playful glare, a bit embarrassed that Iz was able to do it so quickly and easily, but it was taking Dib too long. With an 'aha' coming from his lips, Dib slid Iz's belt open. He pulled on it to get it out of the belt loops still holding it in place, and Iz arched up to aid in removing it from behind him. Iz pulled Dib's belt from its loops in one fluid motion. Dib chuckled and popped Iz's jeans' button out of its hole with one hand before undoing his own. Iz stopped Dib from unzipping himself and slowly slid the zipper down. The careful rip of a zipper coming undone made Dib shiver. He resisted the urge to stop Iz and pull it down himself to release the growing tension in his boxers. Iz left the zipper half-open and lightly pressed his fingers against Dib's erection. Dib moaned and arched back, momentarily releasing the tension on his calves.

"God, Iz, I…"

"Why do people always call to God during moments of passion? I doubt God really wants to be paying attention to what people are doing in bed, honestly." Iz sighed and shook his head, fingers still working on Dib's erection. "I thought my brothers were joking, but apparently not."

Dib rolled his eyes. "It's a habit." He insisted. "Everyone does it, not just in bed. Like 'oh God, that's too hot', or 'oh, God, that's disgusting!' You know what I mean?"

Iz chuckled and nodded. "Rhetorical question, dear." He said.

"Rhetorical answer." Dib smirked.

Iz chuckled again.

Once both of their jeans were completely removed, Dib took the two different fabrics and tossed them off the side of the bed to join their discarded shirts. Dib, beside himself, let his eyes drift to the tent forming between Iz's legs, against his boxers, and smirked. He felt, more than saw, Iz's eyes on his own erection, but it didn't cause him to flush. When Dib noticed how large the tent was in Iz's pants, he smirked. If that was any hint…

Iz raised an eyebrow. "Well…?" he wondered. "We still have boxers on."

"Yes we do." Dib hooked his fingers into the waistband of his boxers, but Iz stopped him by grasping his wrists. "Hm?"

"Allow me." Iz said.

Dib pulled his fingers out from his waistband and Iz let go of his wrists. Instead of replacing Dib's fingers with his own, Iz pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"Uh…Iz…?" Dib asked, swallowing the lump in his throat. "What are you…?"

Before Dib could even think, Iz was on his knees and had his arms around Dib's neck again. Dib wrapped his arms around Iz's waist and started to lay him back down on the bed. Before he could, however, Iz flipped them so he was on top and pulled from Dib, smirking down at him.

"Oh…" Dib hadn't thought that maybe Iz had wanted to top. He hadn't said anything earlier, so Dib had just assumed he was okay on the bottom.

Iz didn't respond and instead kissed the corner of Dib's mouth, before trailing kisses down Dib's chin to his neck, where he suckled and nibbled on the flesh between Dib's neck and shoulder. Dib moaned and arched up, brushing their erections together once again. After a few minutes of torturing Dib's neck, Iz continued making a trail of kisses downward to his nipples. He snaked his tongue around one nipple and yanked a bit before going and doing the same to the other. His descent downwards started again until he reached Dib's naval. He looked up to see Dib's eyes closed, his head back against the pillows and mouth open slightly in a display of passion. When he realized Iz had stopped his ministrations, Dib closed his eyes and looked down, his mouth closing when his and Iz's eyes met.

"Something wrong?" Dib asked.

"No, no, nothing." Iz smiled. "I'm just enjoying the show." He licked around Dib's naval carefully, as if he didn't know what one was, before dipping his tongue out of the small dip. His trail continued and he kissed the inside of Dib's leg. Dib started to thrust up, but Iz's hands on his hips stopped him. There were those strange-feeling fingers again. Dib chalked it up to, once again, a combination of horniness and anticipation. Iz gripped the hem of Dib's boxers in his teeth and pulled down, backing down towards the end of the bed. Dib arched up to aid in removing his boxers. Dib pulled back a bit from Iz and the other boy sat on his knees.

"Did I do something wrong?" He wondered, head tilting to the side.

"No, it's just…if you do more…"

"Oh." Iz smirked." He moved from between Dib's legs to the side. He crawled up and lay down on the pillows and kissed Dib hard on the lips, letting the boy taste what had been on his tongue by slipping it through Dib's slightly parted lips.

Dib moaned at the taste and pulled back from Iz. "You want to top?"

"Hell no." Iz chuckled. "I'm usually…"

"Oh." Dib smirked, though he felt more like frowning. How many people had Iz been with before to consider himself to be 'usually' on the bottom? He let it slide from his mind as he continued.

As they made love, Dib couldn't help but be a bit concerned about how tense Iz was. This obviously wasn't all new to him, at least his earlier words suggested that.

"You have to relax a bit more, Iz."

"I'm relaxed, Moth." Iz countered with a smile. "Go on."

With a smirk, Dib continued as told.

"Moth!" Iz's voice startled Dib a moment.

Dib smirked. "Is it too early for me to tell you that I love you?"

"If it's not too early for me to agree." Iz said.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

They kissed.

After continuing to make love for about ten minutes, they both finished, calling out each other's names. Dib pulled from Iz and lay next to him, the other boy curling against his chest.

"I love you." Dib said again.

Iz kissed his chest. "I love you, too."

Dib pulled the covers down under them and then over them. When he settled down, Iz was once again laying on his chest. Exhausted, Dib quickly fell into a deep slumber, Iz following shortly after.


	17. After The Fact

Dlbn: hey there, everyone! Time for a new chapter! There's a huge storm going on here in NY, so I figure I'll update now while I have the time. Just in case we lose power and thus my internet connection.

Nbld: Review Corner! Thank you to spike tashy, yaoifangirlforever, Invader Zhyr, suckishLEMONADE, ArcAngelCrystal, skyinthenightslove, morgana starfire, Darkdagers, Invader Ang, and Mio-chan's Return for reviewing! I've run out of ideas for gifts for reviewing so…hugs from Zim and Dib…? Here you go! (Zim and Dib glomp everyone)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, The Mask, and Krill the shrimp who might return eventually. I don't know with him. He's a strange one…

000

When Zim awoke the next morning and rolled over, his eyes opened and he was surprised that Moth wasn't next to him. He yawned and sat up, blankets pooling around his waist.

"Moth?" Zim's voice sounded strange to him before he remembered the amplifier in his neck.

No response. Zim flopped back against the pillows. It was just a hook-up. Who cares if Moth said he loved him? It really meant nothing to the boy, so it shouldn't have been a surprise that he was gone. Just like Krill. Zim closed his eyes and ran a hand over his face. He'd forgotten all about Krill the night before. Did this count as cheating? The thoughts racing through his head almost completely masked the sound of a flushing toilet. Zim smiled to himself. How could he forget that there was a bathroom in the hotel room? He opened his eyes as a door creaked open to see Moth walk out, clad in just a towel, his dark hair was wet and clung to the back of his neck. He rubbed a towel through his hair before noticing that Zim was awake.

"Morning." Moth smiled, one eye closed as water dripped down from his hair. "How you feeling?"

"Morning. I'm fine." Zim smiled and sat up a bit more. "How about you?"

"I feel great." Moth walked over and discarded the towel he'd been drying his hair with on the bedside table. He sat on the edge of the bed, back to Zim, but turned sideways a bit to face him. "I was going to order breakfast before you woke up, but I didn't know what you'd like." He handed Zim a menu.

Zim flipped through. "Uh…just orange juice and some waffles." He shrugged. "You?"

"A bowl of cereal for me." Moth picked up the phone and dialed a number off the menu. He reiterated their order and hung up. He leaned over Zim and kissed his forehead. "Love you."

"You too." Zim smiled and sat up, capturing Moth's lips in his own. He lay back down, pulling Moth down over him. They kissed for a few minutes before Moth pulled back. "You don't have a certain time you need to be home, right?"

"I live alone, remember?" Zim chuckled. "What about you?"

"Well, dad should be coming home around one, so I have to be back by then, at least." Moth said. "He doesn't exactly know of my habits, and…"

"I get it." Zim nodded. He kissed Moth's chin. "I won't keep you."

Moth chuckled. "I don't mind." He said. "You can come over to my place, if you want."

"N-no, that's fine." Zim smiled softly. "My parents call to check up on me, and I shouldn't stay out all day." He lied. "Last time I talked to them was before I left for The Mask, so it's been a while since we had contact. I don't want mom to worry."

"At least your parents care." Moth shrugged. "My dad's never home and if he is, he's working from home. Hardly spends time with me and my sister, really."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine." Moth shrugged. "I'm used to it by now, you know?"

"Still must suck."

Moth chuckled and kissed Zim's forehead again. "You want to use the shower before breakfast comes?"

Shower? Earth? Water? No thanks!

"Um…" Zim paused. "I don't…I mean…I have nothing to change into."

"I'm just putting on my clothes from last night." Moth shrugged.

"Oh." Zim paused. "Well, I suppose I should…"

Moth pushed himself off of Zim and onto the bed next to him. "I'll be here." Moth said.

Zim laughed. "Okay, okay." He said. "I'll be out in a few."

Moth offered him the towel he'd put on the bedside table. "I don't know how concerned you are with modesty, considering we just…well…I'll shut up now. I'm embarrassing myself is all."

Zim chuckled and took the towel. He stood and wrapped it around his waist slowly, giving Moth a good show before winking and going to the bathroom. Zim shut and locked the door. Okay, so he needed to fake taking a shower in water. He could do that. He had some cleansing gel in his suitcase, but that was home. He'd shower after Moth went back to his house. Zim walked over and pulled the shower curtain shut before turning the water onto cool-warm. Some of the water that came out landed on his hand with a sizzle, but the pain was mild and Zim knew Moth didn't hear the sound, so he was covered. Now he had about ten minutes to fake a shower. What to do? Zim opened the cabinet above the sink and pulled out an unopened red toothbrush and a tube of what he assumed was travel-sized toothpaste. He set it up and brushed his teeth in the mirror, momentarily turning off his hologram in order to see his zipper-like Irken teeth and make sure they were the ones getting clean and not the hologram. Once done, he flipped his hologram back on. Under the sink, Zim found a hairdryer. A perfect excuse for why he came out of the shower dry. After using the toilet, Zim figured it was long enough and shut the water off. The door opened and he could hear Moth talking to someone. Assuming it was food, Zim made sure his hologram was on and he didn't look disheveled before turning on the hairdryer and running it over his hair a few times. Once set, he readjusted his towel and opened the bathroom door. Moth was already seated at the kitchenette in the back corner of the hotel room when he came out. The human hadn't touched his breakfast yet and was reading what appeared to be a magazine. He didn't flinch until Zim started to dress, discarding the towel to put on his boxers. He felt Moth's eyes giving him another once-over and flushed a bit. The boy was definitely attracted to him, no doubt about it. Once dressed, Zim joined Moth at the table. They ate their food in silence for a few minutes before Moth spoke.

"Do you go to school here?" He asked.

"Yeah." Zim nodded. "Skool. They spell it with a…"

"'K'?" Moth offered.

"Yeah. You go to the same one?"

Moth nodded. "Of course." He said. "Maybe we see each other around."

"Probably. I don't think the school's that big." Zim smiled. He didn't want to mention that he was new to GLASS, because it might give away who he was. He liked Moth, and the boy _was_ attractive, but he didn't know if he wanted Moth to know the real him yet. Heck, his 'friends' at school didn't know the real him either.

"No, not really." Moth shook his head. "400 kids in our graduating class. There's another school down the road that has like 600 in theirs."

"Wow. Must be a nice school."

"Private school."

"Ah."

"I'm actually surprised there are that many rich people in town." Moth said. "I mean, my dad's rich, but I go to public school."

"Why don't you go to private school, then?" Zim wondered.

"Back when my mom was alive, she died when I was seven, she wanted me and my sister to have a 'real world experience' and said we couldn't get it in a private school, since everyone's fake and is convinced that they're better than everyone else."

"Makes sense."

"Did you go to public school or private school back home?"

"Uh…would you believe me if I said neither?" Zim wondered.

"Really?"

"I was homeschooled." Zim muttered. "My mom's rich, too, so she hired tutors for me and my brothers."

"That's awesome." Moth commented.

"I guess." Zim shrugged. "If you could imagine, I don't' really associate with people my age much. I mean, last person I was friends with was a guy in his 30's."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And I didn't know it until I went to his house to say goodbye. His roommate told me."

"You didn't see him?"

"He'd already left for the military base he was assigned to, by the time I got there. When we met, he only had a week in the City before he had to go."

"That sucks."

"Yeah." Zim muttered. "We met at a military party."

"Were you in the military? You're a bit young."

Zim chuckled. "I wanted to be, but I wasn't good enough, I guess. They said I wasn't ready yet. Of course, I argued, but it didn't help much." Zim laughed.

"You want to be in the military, though."

"Well, sort of, I mean...I'm not good at much else."

"Of come on, sure you are." Moth said. "You're a great dancer, and you're really smart. You could get any job you wanted!"

"That sounds more like you then me." Zim chuckled. "The things I know how to do won't leave me anywhere but the local penitentiary."

Moth raised an eyebrow.

"I can make some very illegal weapons." Zim shrugged. "I thought maybe the military would want someone who can make stuff like that, but no."

"Is that what you and your mom fought about?" Moth wondered.

"Yeah." Zim said. "She caught me a few times."

"And that got you kicked out?"

"I ran away."

"Oh."

Zim paused. Why was he telling Moth so much? He never told Keef this much information about him, and he knew him a little longer then he'd known Moth. Not even Dib knew him well. There he went again, thinking about Dib. Why did the raven haired male always come into his mind when he didn't want him to? It was infuriating! Nothing in the hotel room had _anything_ to do with his classmate, so why…?

000

Dib flopped down on his living room couch, highly content with the fruits of the night. Iz, other than being _fantastic_ in bed, was a pretty cool guy, and cute to boot! They went to the same school, but that didn't mean much. Besides, he was fully aware that Iz wasn't his real name, so even if he looked him up in the school computers, he wouldn't find him. It's not like Iz had given him a last name, real or otherwise. Oh well. He supposed he'd know it was Iz when, and if, he saw him. Gaz came out of the kitchen.

"Fun night?" She wondered.

"Yeah." Dib put his feet up on the coffee table and leaned back, draping one arm over the back of the couch. "I met this amazing guy at The Mask the other day, and we made a date to meet there last night."

"And?" Gaz plopped down next to him with a bowl of Count Cocoa Fang cereal and her Gameslave 2.

"Well…we went to a hotel…" Dib bit his lip, wondering what his sister would say, if anything.

"I was wondering why you were out all night." Gaz muttered, un-pausing her game.

Dib raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to scold me?"

"For what?"

"Having sex with someone I only knew for a few days."

"Eh." Gaz didn't look up as she played through the level. "Damn Vampire Piggies…"

Dib sighed and flipped on the TV. The theme for Mysterious Mysteries began playing. His father walked in.

"Son, daughter." He greeted his children.

"Hey, dad." Dib said.

Gaz only gave a light grunt as a response.

The Professor looked at the TV to see what they were watching and shook his head.

"Son, why do you watch that show?" Professor wondered. "There's nothing real in it, nothing plausible. Now, _real_ science…"

"I watch it for fun, dad." Dib responded, not looking at his father.

"Keeps him occupied." Gaz said, continuously tapping away at her game controls.

The Professor shook his head and muttered something about real science again, before leaving to go into his lab.

Dib watched until his father had vanished through a doorway. "If that's how he reacts to TV," Dib said, turning back to the TV, "then I hate to find out what he'd say about my sexuality."

"Eh."

000

Zim sighed as he slid down into the tub of his base-like home on Earth. It wasn't his real home, but it felt like it. He missed it the night before. He'd invite Moth over one day, but he was concerned that if he ever had to do partner work in school, his classmates would be there and be appalled if they met Moth. Whatever. Why did he care so much about what other people thought? Zim sighed and slid down further in the tub. He had filled it with the Irken version of water, which was a violet-tinted gel. There was no way to get around the fact that he needed to take a bath, considering he'd been out all night, dancing and sweating due to…other things. Zim blushed. Moth wasn't bad in bed, for a teenager, at least. Zim wondered if Krill was any good…

Zim closed his eyes and shook his head. He ran one hand over his face and antennae. Why was he thinking about Krill? The man was old enough to be his father, not to mention that Zim would never see him again. He felt bad that he hadn't been able to say goodbye, but it couldn't be helped. Things with the military were never set in stone. They may have told Krill he wasn't going to have to return to his base for a week, but even Krill probably knew he could be called back any time before that. What had happened that he'd needed to leave a bit early? His mother hadn't said anything, and it's not like Spleen, Krill's roommate, was any help. Oh well. Zim had other things to worry about. He had friends at his school, the school wasn't as bad as he'd originally assumed, he had a good disguise, a somewhat-faulty back story, and a…boyfriend? Lover? What in the world did one call the relationship between Zim, or his alter-ego Iz, and Moth? Casual hookup between friends? Probably all Moth considered it. He may have told Zim 'I love you', but Zim knew better than to fall for that. It was just sex-talk…wasn't it? Zim groaned. He had so much to think about, including his family back home. Zim sank into the gel until only his antennae were poking above it.


	18. Planning

Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! Time for another Iz Moth update! I was PLANNING on updating yesterday, but too much was going on. (Mostly learning that some so-called friends aren't really friends) But I'm not going into detail :P

Nbld: No need to bore them with that crap, sis. Anyway, it's time for the Review Corner! Thank you to yaoifangirlforever1716, suckishLEMONADE, Invader Zhyr, morgana starfire, Invader Ang, Mio-chan's Return, ArchAngelCrystal, and skyinthenightslove. Zim and Dib shall make out for you.

Dlbn: To answer a few reviewers questions, we have introduced the Answer Corner! Brought to you by Nbld!

Nbld: She just _has_ to have me do this, huh? Can't do it herself? Anyway, here are some Q and A:

Skyinthenightslove: Zim's family and Krill will come into play later. It's only a matter of time…and a secret for now ;)

Mio-chan's Return: No, Krill is not an alien shrimp. Invader Ang started that. :) I wonder what one would look like though….

Invader Ang: Yes, I could tell that was you. And Zim knows he loves Dib…well, Moth at this point, but you know. He's just confused. Poor baby.

Yaoifangirlforever: Girl.

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this work of fiction outside of Krill and the Mask. All characters, locations, and people belong to Jhonen C. Vasquez. Lord of all that is fan-worthy.

000

School came around much too quickly for Dib. He was sitting on a bench outside of the school, surrounded by all of his friends except Torque. Torque had said he was going to wait for Zim a couple blocks away from home so he could walk him to school again. It seemed the two of them were becoming friends, but Dib doubted it. As soon as they reached Skool, Zim would offer Torque a thanks and a nod, then go over to his friends with his head down, and Torque would join Dib and the others. Hardly a friendship if Dib ever saw one.

"How long is he going to wait for Zim?" Zita was getting a bit impatient, checking over her shoulder for her boyfriend every couple of minutes.

"Who knows?" Dib shrugged. "He just doesn't want Zim to get jumped again. It's probably his parents' idea."

"Dib has a point." Jessica nodded, filing her long nails.

"There they are." Rob nodded to the gate. "We can ask him ourselves."

Sure enough, Torque and Zim were walking into Skool grounds together. Zim said something to Torque, which made Torque nod and smile. Not even a moment later, Keef ran over, said something excitedly to Zim, and then yanked him away by the hand. Zim stumbled to catch his footing. Dib watched the two of them until he felt someone lightly slug his shoulder.

"You were so checking him out." Torque chuckled. "Maybe Keef's right about you, after all."

"He's not." Dib shook his head. "I just feel sorry for Zim, being dragged around like that by Keef all the time."

"Sure you do."

"So how was your guys' date?" Brian asked, looking between Dib and Sara.

Like Dib had promised, the two of them met at a new club a few blocks down the road from Sara's house and hung out like a date. Truth be told, Dib had fun, but being with Iz was so much more…_rewarding_, he guessed was the word. Even while Dib was dancing and joking around with Sara, Iz never left his mind. Dib's mind had wandered to Zim a bit too. Did Zim go out to clubs? Dib shook his head clear of the thoughts and turned back to the conversation, considering that the others were eagerly waiting for his answer.

000

"Dib was _so_ watching you!" Keef squealed to Zim as they sat on a picnic bench.

Zim assumed the club had long ago claimed it as their own, before he came around, as no one else was ever sitting there.

"So what?" Zim asked. "I was with his friend."

Gaz snorted, not looking up once from her game. "He was watching Zim because _you_ like to make a spectacle of yourself." She nodded her head in Keef's direction.

Keef gasped and put a hand on his chest. "I do _not_ make a spectacle of myself!" He seemed shocked. "How could you even _think_ that, Gaz?"

"You're making a scene." Gretchen nervously looked around at the other high-schoolers. "Keep your voice down!"

Keef looked around and noticed one group in particular watching. He waved his hand in an overly-exaggerated wave. They all turned around and most of the other kids went about their business. Dirge looked up shyly.

"I could show them my webbed-toes." He said. "Then they'd ignore Keef for a bit."

"Webbed…toes?" Zim wondered.

"I was born with webbed toes, like a fish boy." Dirge said. "Do you want to see?" he opened one eye wide and stared at Zim.

"Uh…no, that's okay." Zim denied. "Thanks for the offer, though."

"You have to stop offering to show people that." Gaz sneered. "No one really cares."

"_Any_way, you silly gooses, let's get back to business here!" Keef clapped his hands. "Now, our club's classroom is currently being repainted. We need to have the meeting somewhere else this week. Any ideas?"

"We could go to the park, get some sun." Gretchen offered.

"Naw, too many people." Keef said. "We don't want our big plans to be known until next week. Anyone else?"

"Can't be my place." Gaz said. "Dib and his losers hang there every day and they'd only get in our way."

"My parents said they don't want the…ahem…" Melvin cleared his throat. "Q-words and f-words at our house."

Keef shook his head. "When will people learn to be more open minded? I mean, it's not like they can _catch_ homosexuality and bisexuality." He sighed.

"If it can't be public, can we just use another classroom?" Dirge wondered.

Keef shook his head. "I asked the Principal that, but he said no."

"We can go to my house." Zim offered.

Everyone looked at him. "Oh, but, Zim! You're our new member! We couldn't _possibly_ ask you to do that!" Keef said, though he did sound hopeful that Zim would follow through.

"It's fine." Zim shrugged. "I live alone anyway, so we'll have the house to ourselves."

Keef squealed and hugged Zim.

"Thank you _so_ much, buddy!" Keef said, nuzzling Zim's head. "I'm going to pick up some stuff from the store after school and we'll have a huge welcome party for you, too! How's that sound?"

"Can I help you, Keef?" Gretchen wondered. "I know a couple CDs we could get."

"Wonderful!" Keef said with a nod. "We can all go!"

"Uh…my place is a bit messy, I'd better go home and clean." Zim said. Really, he needed to hide anything that was even remotely Irken.

"Okay." Keef smiled. "We'll do the shopping and meet at your place. Four-ish?"

"That doesn't give us much time to shop." Melvin shook his head.

"But the meeting has to be today, and I have an 8 pm curfew." Keef said. "It can't be too late."

"A four hour meeting is just fine." Gaz rolled her eyes. "Too long, if you ask me. Is five okay, Zim?"

"Sure."

Keef grabbed Zim's hand and pulled out a pen. He wrote a phone number down and his name. "Call my cell when you're done. Maybe you can shop with us after!"

"I…uh…sure." Zim said. He could use his Irken phone, but he was outside his true calling area, so it might not work. "If I don't call, just assume I'm done and come on over."

The school bell rang before anyone could say anything more.

"Pooy!" Keef complained, folding his arms over his chest. "Ah, well, we can talk more in lunch."

Zim held out his hand as Keef jumped off of the bench, knowing the redhead would grab his wrist anyway. Keef did, and dragged Zim off into school, the others in tow.

000

Zim yawned and supported his head in his left hand as his math teacher droned on about the next exam. He didn't really care. Smeets knew this stuff. It was elementary, literally, to him. Zim snuck a glance out of the corner of his eye at Keef, noting that the redhead wasn't paying attention either. He doubted anyone was, but out of the corner of his other eye he saw Dib scribbling on a piece of paper. He was probably taking notes. Personally, Zim thought he was smart enough to pass a test without notes or studying, but that wasn't something he was going to admit. Zim's mind drifted to Moth. Moth had said he went to the same school. What was he doing now? Could he have been in the room? He had black hair, that's the most Zim remembered. He hadn't been paying much attention to Moth's eyes, so he didn't know the color. All he knew was the color of his mask and the way he made Zim feel when they touched. He was also light skinned and about Zim's height, he remembered that, too. The bell rang and Keef practically dragged Zim up and out of his chair.

"I wanna ask you something." Keef whispered. "Bye, Mr. C!"

"Goodbye, Keef, Zim!" Mr. C responded with a smile. "Have a good day. And remember to do your exciting parabola homework!"

"Of course, Mr. C." Zim said. "When we're not watching math shows on the TV."

"That a boy!"

Though he'd only been there about a week, Zim quickly learned the inside jokes of his math class and was quite good at dishing them out. Keef pulled Zim out into the hall.

"Can I ask you something?" Keef rocked back and forth on his heels.

"You just did."

"I'm serious!" Keef said loudly, giggling and lightly slapping Zim's chest.

"You can ask me a question. Go ahead." Zim nodded, laughing.

"Are you doing anything on Sunday?"

"Sunday?" At least he hadn't asked for Saturday. Zim was pretty sure he and Moth would meet up inside The Mask. He didn't need Keef tagging along.

"Yeah." Keef nodded.

"Not that I recall." Zim shook his head. "Why?"

"Well…my family reunion is Sunday and my parents want me to go, but they are _so_ boring! Especially considering that most of my family is considerably homophobic. They said I could bring a friend…would you mind?"

"Your family reunion?" Zim wondered. "I wouldn't want to intrude."

"Oh, you wouldn't be! We're _inviting _you!" Keef giggled. "My mom and dad want to meet you, since I told um you're new to school and all. Please go?"

"Well…" Zim paused. "Can I answer you tomorrow? I have to ask my parents."

"Zim, you told us this morning that you live alone." Keef reminded.

"Oh yeah. I did."

"Hey, you two." Gaz's voice said. "I don't care what date you're setting up, but you're going to be late to history if you don't move your asses." She didn't look up from her game as she spoke.

"Oh, dear! That wouldn't be good at _all_!" Keef said. "Let's get going. Thanks, Gaz." He pulled Zim down the hall again.

"I'd just feel real uncomfortable. This is something for your family."

"I'd go to yours if you asked me." Keef pleaded. "_Please_, Zim? I don't want to bring anyone else."

Zim flushed. "Alright, alright. I'll go."

"Thank you so much!" Keef pounced on him.

"Ugh, no problem." Zim said, as he tried to force himself to breathe correctly.

Keef stepped back and giggled before running into the classroom. Zim pulled a bit more air into his lungs before following.

000

Once school let out, Zim found his friends at their usual picnic table. He started to walk over, but someone grabbed his arm. He turned to see Dib connected to the hand on his arm.

"Uh…yeah…?" He wondered.

"My sister told me that the club was going to have their meeting at your house." Dib informed.

"Uh…yeah." Zim nodded. "Why? Did you want to come, too?"

Dib flushed. "No." He denied. "I just don't know you well enough to let her over there."

"She'll be okay." Zim shrugged. "I won't let anything happen to her."

"For your sake, I hope so."

Zim started to say something, but Keef bounded up the front steps to him.

"Come on, silly! We only have so much time!" Keef said. He noticed Dib. "Are _you_ coming to the meeting, Dib?"

Zim chuckled. "Yeah, right." He said.

"I have my own meeting today, Keef, thank you. Even if I didn't, I wouldn't go." Dib scowled. "You guys have fun. Keep an eye on my sister." Dib hopped down the stairs and joined his friends.

"What's Dib's problem?" Keef sighed. "I so _know_ he's gay, so why doesn't he just come out and say it?"

"I don't think he is." Zim shook his head. "He doesn't seem too interested in guys…"

"Of _course_ not! He's got that 'reputation' of his to maintain. I bet he hides it." Keef looked around quickly before whispering, "Like you."

"Shut up, Keef." Zim pulled his arm away and walked down the steps.

Keef followed him over to the picnic table.

"So what did the King of the School want?" Gaz wondered.

"He doesn't like the idea of you coming to my house." Zim responded.

Gaz rolled her eyes. "He can deal with it." She said.

Zim smirked.

"Alright, so let's go shopping!" Keef clapped his hands as the others stood.

"I can't wait!" Gretchen smiled, showing off her braces.

"So what's your address, Zim?" Keef wondered.

"Uh…" Zim paused. "Can I give you directions from here?"

"Sure." Keef shrugged, handing Zim a piece of paper and a pencil.

Zim drew the same map the security guard had made for him, having had stored the image in the memory banks of his PAK. He handed it over. Keef raised an eyebrow as he looked it over. "This isn't directions." He said.

"Well…it's easier."

"You don't know the street names, do you?" Gaz asked, more of a statement than anything.

"No, I do. I just…"

"Okay, okay, no arguing!" Keef beamed. "Let's get going. Zim, you head on home and do whatever it is you need to do. The rest of us will go shopping."

"I don't shop." Gaz said. "Zim, mind if I give you a hand?"

"Well…"

"Let him work on his own, Gaz!" Keef rolled his eyes. "Come shopping. _Please_?"

"Alright, alright, fine." Gaz rolled her eyes. "See you in a bit, Zim."

Zim watched his friends leave before exiting the school grounds himself.


	19. PARTY!

Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! Time for another update of Iz Moth! I don't have anything to say right now…

Nbld: Review Corner! Thank you to morgana starfire, Invader Zhyr, Darkdagers, spike tashy, Invader Ang, ArcAngelCrystal, suckishLEMONADE, skyinthenightslove, and yaoifangirl1716 for reviewing! Thank you cakes from Zim and Dib for all!

Question and answer segment!

spike tashy: I completely forgot about the Robot Parents, but now that you mention it…

Invader Ang: Yeah, Torque waits for him. He figures that Zim and Dib are becoming friends, at least a little bit, so by extension, they're all friends. If that makes any sense. He's just looking out for a friend

Skyinthenightslove: Party is in this chapter, so you'll find out the answers soon! I hope…

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, The Mask, and Krill. All other characters, places, and species belong to Jhonen C. Vasquez. Jhonenism!

000

Dib watched as Gaz left in one direction with her friends while Zim went in another. Was Zim going to his house before the others? Where in the world did that make sense? Sure, he and Gaz didn't have curfews, but it still made no sense. The others probably did. Oh, whatever. Dib couldn't be bothered with the affairs of the GLASS kids. He had to focus on what the Class President was saying. A member of the student council, Dib was expected to at least show up to the meetings and _pretend_ to look interested. No one else seemed to be paying attention, though, considering most were either doing homework or doodling.

"So that's my new budget plan." The class president said, with a wide grin.

How she ever got elected by the students was beyond Dib. When no one answered, she pushed her bright red-violet hair behind her ears.

"Well?" She repeated.

People snapped from their apparent trances and nodded, murmuring words of approval, though they probably didn't know what she had said, Dib included in that group. He yawned as the paper with the budget on it was passed around the table for everyone to read over and sign.

"This doesn't make sense." A girl from Gaz's class informed. She adjusted her sunglasses. "Our budget only allows for 1,469 bucks to be put to prom so far, yet this clearly goes over that for 3,000. Our overall expenses here are shifted out of whack." She flipped through her binder full of papers. "Our overall expenses should only be about 20,000. But we're in the 40,000s. Something's not right." She shook her head and handed it back to the Class President.

"I redid all the numbers myself." She pouted. She shot a look at Dib. "You have the highest grade in math. Can you look this over?" She wasted no time waiting for an answer and walked over, putting the papers in front of him.

Dib looked them over and quickly spotted a few errors. "Things just weren't added right." Dib said. He took out a red pencil and circled the errors. "This should fix it." He handed it to the girl in Gaz's class, the Treasurer.

"He's right." She nodded.

"Alright, then I take it we're dismissed?" the Class president looked over her nails.

"Yes, ma'am." The vice president nodded.

"Whipped." Torque said, pretending to hide his statement with a cough.

People laughed, but the VP and CP gave him dirty looks. "Let's go." The VP said.

Everyone left.

"So what do we do now?" Torque wondered.

"Go back to my place?" Dib offered.

"We did that last week." Sarah said. "What about my house?"

"Okay." Dib shrugged.

They all walked off in sync.

000

Once Zim got home, he began shuffling through the house, looking for anything remotely Irken that needed to be hidden. His ship was in the attic, so he locked that up, but he didn't really find much other stuff. He put most of the cash he had manufactured up in the attic with his Voot as well, so that was safe. He hadn't come to Earth with much Irken stuff to begin with. Strangely enough, Irken laptops looked enough like Earth laptops that Zim didn't think anyone would think otherwise of it. He still had his generator to make, so he had encased all of that stuff in his suitcase and shoved it into the Voot with the money. The house was designed to look human, so there wasn't much he had to do in that department. Zim had hidden his mask and amplifier up with the generator stuff, since he was sure Keef would know what the mask and amplifier were for and call him out on it in front of the others. Zim knew it was dumb, since he was completely okay with his sexuality, but it didn't seem okay with humans and he didn't want them to know. Since these guys were all for gay equality, considering they were in GLASS, Zim doubted they'd care. But if they told anyone else…Zim shuddered and made a couple last sweeps over the house to make sure everything was okay. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number Keef had written on his hand. As he expected, all he got was a message saying he was out of the calling area, followed by a ton of static. Zim's antennae twitched under his hologram at the noise and he shut the phone off. Well, no way to get a-hold of Keef meant no need to worry. He _had_, after all, told them that no call meant to just assume he was done with everything and come over. He remembered that clearly. Zim plopped down on the couch and flipped on the TV while he waited for his friends to show up. Three hours of boring Earth VT later, the doorbell rang. Zim sprang up from the couch, a bit startled, before turning off the TV and going to open the door. Keef, Gaz, and the others stood behind it, all holding bags form a local store. Gaz was also playing her Game Slave, which didn't really surprise Zim.

"Come on in." Zim smiled, and stepped aside.

They all piled in and looked around the house. "I can't believe you live here all alone!" Keef gaped. "It's so huge!"

"Thanks." Zim flushed.

"Stop gaping." Gaz said. "You're probably embarrassing him." She plopped the bags she had onto the coffee table before sitting on the couch with her game.

"Let's set everything up!" Keef said with a wide grin. "Where's your kitchen, Zim?"

Zim pointed. Keef and the others went in, dumping everything they could onto the table. Zim looked at the contents. Most of the food was snacks, like cake and cookies, so Zim knew he could at _least_ eat that. Meat was out of the question, because he was an Irken, which made him a vegetarian. Water was out for drinks, because of Irken allergies, but it looked like they mostly brought punches, which Zim could drink. Keef set the cups and plates up in the way he wanted, as well as everything else. The others, Zim included, just watched.

"You have a CD player?"Gretchen wondered, handing Zim a CD case.

"Uh…my laptop plays CDs." Zim said. He took his laptop form the kitchen counter and booted it up. He made sure no one saw the screen, considering anything written was in Irken, and opened the disc tray. He took the CD from Gretchen and popped it in. bubbly pop music Zim was sure came from inside a gay bar, started blasting through his laptop speakers.

"Can we eat in the living room, Zim, while we have our meeting?" Keef asked.

"Sure." Zim shrugged. "Just don't make a mess."

They all nodded.

Once everyone was set and sitting on the floor around the coffee table, Keef stood at the head of it and began speaking.

"I call this meeting of GLASS as started!" He said with a wide grin. "Morla, why don't you start us off with how the fundraiser is going?"

Morla stood and Keef sat. "As you all, except Zim, know by now, we are trying to raise money to host a sort of block party to raise awareness for gay rights." She said. "Half of the proceeds will go directly to the local gay rights chapter, and the other half will go to our own GLASS club for our treasury." She smiled. "As of now, we are 3/4ths of the way towards meeting out goal." She pulled a rolled up piece of paper from her bag and spread it on the table. "We're a thousand short of our desired goal."

"Only a thousand?" Keef wondered, still smiling. "If we go hit the gay clubs, I'm sure we could get people to donate!"

"I can make it." Zim said.

They all stared at him.

"Yeah, right." Gaz snorted. "Like you have a thousand dollars."

"I do." Zim nodded.

"We couldn't ask you to do that." Morla smiled softly.

"It's fine." Zim shook his head. "Hold on."

When Zim returned from the attic, the others were gone from where Zim had left them. "Guys?" Zim wondered. He walked into the kitchen and was bombarded with balloons and streamers. Keef through a bunch of pink sparkles into his face, which Zim sneezed away.

"Welcome, Zim!" They all said at once, some of them blowing little whistles.

"Uh…what's…uh…?" Zim noticed the banner tacked to his cabinets, which read "Welcome to GLASS, Zim!" in bright multicolored letters.

"We _told_ you this was going to be a welcome party!" Keef giggled.

"He's right." Gaz smiled softly, looking up from her game for once. "We were _going_ to have someone ask you to show them where the bathroom is, but that worked out well, too."

Zim laughed. "Okay, then." He said. "Oh." Zim held up the money. "Here you go." He handed it to Morla, who counted it.

"Two thousand dollars?" She wondered.

"Oh, two thousand?" Zim pretended to be shocked. "Oops."

"We only needed a thousand, you sly dog, you!" Keef lightly hit his shoulder.

"Where do you get half of your saying from?" Dirge wondered, opening one eye wider than the other.

"I have my sources!" Keef stuck his tongue out and tapped his head.

"None that we want to know, I'm sure." Zim responded.

Laughter.

"Now, let's _really_ get this party started!"

000

It was about seven o'clock when Gaz walked in the front door of her home. Dib was sitting on the couch with a bowl of cereal, watching Mysterious Mysteries on the TV. Dib looked up when he heard her shut and lock the door with a 'click'.

"How was Zim's?" Dib wondered, not really caring.

"I had fun." Gaz shrugged. "He made a huge donation to the club." She shrugged and plopped down on the couch next to her brother. She pulled out her Game Slave 2 and began playing again.

Dib rolled his eyes. "Don't you do anything besides playing that thing?" Dib asked.

"I have to kill the Vampire Piggies." Gaz sneered. "It's a lot of work. And I have the club too, by the way."

"_Other_ than that."

"You're just mad because I was hanging with your mortal enemy."

"He's not my mortal enemy!" Dib turned viscously to him. "I just don't like him lying." He folded his arms and looked away.

"Sure thing." Gaz muttered.

"Does he really live alone?" Dib looked at her.

"Yeah." Gaz responded.

"Maybe we should tell someone that."

"Leave it alone, Dib, he's a big boy. Zim's got some pretty good self-defense training. He can use a gun."

"What? Did he threaten you?" Dib sat up and looked his sister in the eyes.

"No, he didn't threaten me." Gaz rolled her eyes. "Keef commented on him living alone, too."

"Oh." Dib sank back into the couch. "He said he wouldn't do anything to you, anyway."

"Did _you _threaten _him_?" Gaz wondered, pausing her game.

"No." Dib shook his head. "We just had a little discussion after school."

"How'd you even know I was going over there?"

"Keef won't shut up. He's got twin crushes on me and Zim, I swear."

"And do you like Keef back?" Gaz's eyes held a taunting glint.

"What!" Dib was practically out of his seat when she said that. "Of course not!" He glared at her. "Besides, I have Iz."

"Who?" Gaz wondered.

"Remember when I stayed out the whole night the other day? Well, I met Iz at The Mask and we met up at the club and uh…"

"You slept with him."

Dib wiped a hand over his face. "It sounds horrible when you say it that way."

Gaz chuckled. "So you did."

"He's cute." Dib smiled softly at the memory. "I hope we see each other again at the club."

Gaz rolled her eyes. Her brother's personal life wasn't her issue.


	20. VIP?

Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! Time for another update! I know there was a day or so extra between the last chapter and this, but things are getting weird around here and I didn't have time to update. Sorry! Bold writer! Bold!

Nbld: While she scolds herself, I'll host the Review Corner, as usual! Thank you to yaoifangirlforever1716, spike tashy, Darkdagers, Invader Ang, Cecily, Mio-chan's Return, ArchAngelCrystal, suckishLEMONADE, and Invader Zhyr for reviewing! For everyone, Zim, Dib, Gaz, Keef, and Krill action figures for all! Tosses out action figure sets to reviewers)

Dlbn: Now that I am done scolding myself, I may warn that this chapter is a bit of a teaser. With the last scene I wanted to add, this chapter is too long. It's a bit short now, but more is to come!

Disclaimer: I owe nothing but Krill and The Mask. All characters, places, species, and races belong to Jhonen C. Vasquez. I earn no money from this fiction and I'm pretty sure this stuff I write makes Jhonen vomit. ^_^

000

The rest of the week went rather slowly. Zim sat in his last period study hall, staring at the clock. Keef was at his side as usual, watching him watch the clock. Zim gave Keef and look and the redhead smiled.

"Are you going to come on Sunday?" Keef wondered.

"Your family reunion?" Zim wondered.

Keef nodded.

"Yeah, sure. What time?"

"We can come and get you at like 12."

Zim thought for a minute. Well, just because he might see Moth on Saturday night, it didn't mean they'd go and sleep together again. It was a one night thing…right?

"Okay."

Keef squealed, causing some stares. "Thanks so much!" He latched onto Zim's arm. "My family is un_bear_able."

"Heh, it's okay, Keef. Let my arm go."

Keef did what was asked for him and gave Zim a toothy grin. "Anytime, buddy! I'll give you directions to my place. Unless you just want me to pick you up?"

"Would your parents want to meet mine?" Zim asked.

"No." Keef shook his head.

"Then yes."

Keef giggled. "Okay." He smiled. "Good thing I remember where you live very well!" He nodded.

"Yeah." Zim agreed. "No use in getting lost and getting to your reunion late, right?"

"Agreed!"

Zim chuckled as the bell rang. Keef shot up and bounced in place. "Oh, goody! Time to go home!" He said. "Let's go meet the others." He pulled Zim up by the arm and yanked him out into the hall with the other students.

000

Tired from the day but in the mood to see Moth again, Zim donned his mask and voice amplifier before heading out to The Mask. The streets weren't as dark as they had been the night he'd been attacked, a few streetlights lit up, but they were just as barren. Zim could hear the pulsing music inside The Mask before he'd gotten close to it. There wasn't a line outside, not that Zim expected one to be there, but it was probably crowded inside. Zim knocked on the heavy metal door and it opened. The guard on the inside was the one who Zim had met his first day going to the club. He smiled at Zim, amber eyes shining behind his ruby mask.

"Hello again, kid." He said. "You have a name for yourself?"

"It's Iz…now, at least." Zim answered.

He laughed. "And what is it other times?"

"I thought you weren't supposed to know." Zim winked and the guard laughed.

Zim stepped in when the man waved him through and the door shut behind him with the scraping sound of metal on concrete.

"I heard you left with someone last week."

"Did the other guard tell you?"

This guard had been home the night Zim went with Moth to the hotel. The other guard had to have said something.

"No." The guard denied. "I heard rumors that a new guy was already leaving the Mask with someone, and I figured it was you. We don't have many new customers. At least, not on my watch. So was it you?"

"Yeah, I met a guy." Zim flushed.

"Mozel Tov." The guard smiled. "Well, go on in and see if he's here." He winked.

"Thanks." Zim said.

The guard opened the other door that led to the club and Zim stepped in. The crowd was surprisingly pretty thin. A dozen or so couples were dancing on the dance floor, bumping and grinding against one another, but there were maybe five people at the bar counter as well. One of them, Zim recognized as Moth. So he _was_ here. Good. Beside himself, Zim smiled and walked over to where his 'lover' was. Was 'lover' the appropriate term? They had only slept together once…then again, Zim couldn't call Moth anything else that didn't make it sound like the whole ordeal was just a cheap lay. For now, 'lover' worked just fine. Zim tapped the black haired male on the shoulder.

"Long time no see." Zim greeted.

Moth jumped at the touch, but he turned and smile when he heard Zim's voice. "Hey, yourself." Moth leaned in and kissed the corner of Zim's mouth. "Have a seat." He looked over at the bartender. "Another Pepsi." He ordered.

The bartender handed Zim a drink. Once Zim thanked him, he moved on to serve another couple who had come over. Zim hopped up onto the stool, one foot on the bar below his seat. "How was your week?" He asked.

"Not bad." Moth shrugged. "How was yours?"

"It was fine. So much better now, though."

Moth caught his flirting and kissed Zim again. "I'm sorry." He said. "Was that okay to do?"

"Who said it wouldn't have been?" Zim asked, arching an eyebrow.

Moth chuckled. "I suppose you're right." He lowered his voice. "I mean, after last weekend and all…"

Zim giggled, something he normally wouldn't let himself do; flirting or not. He cleared his throat. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize." Moth smiled. "It's cute."

Zim blushed. Honey, he noticed. Moth's eyes were the color of honey. Almost the same color as Dib's…ugh. Why did intruding thoughts of the infuriating human have to come _now_? Zim shook his head lightly to get rid of the thoughts and covered it up with a laugh. "Thank you?"

"Welcome." Moth winked and kissed him again, this time putting a hand on Zim's knee.

Zim opened his lips a bit when he felt Moth's tongue. He was just getting into the kiss when someone cleared his throat. They separated and Zim turned to see who had disrupted them. A man in a black suit and tie stood there, watching the boys with a smile. He had a wire around his ear. Probably some security guy. Zim didn't sense much of a threat off of him.

"It's not very busy tonight, boys." He informed. "You're putting on quite a show."

Zim looked out at the dance floor. The closest couples were standing close to each other, watching Zim and Moth with amused smiles. One of the men winked at them and smirked. Zim returned the smirk with one of his own, before turning back to the overly-dressed man.

"Sorry about that." Zim said, embarrassed enough for both himself and Moth. "It's a Friday and the crowds are normally larger, so…"

The man gave a smile. "No need to apologize." He said. "It can't be helped, sometimes."

A man standing next to him flushed and looked away, as if he knew from personal experience.

"Just try to save it for back rooms, okay?" The man handed Zim and Moth each a card. "For your use."

"Thank you." Moth sounded like he was out of breath. Were these cards important for something?

"Yea, thank you." Zim agreed.

The man smiled and left with his cohorts. The music started off and people, couple by couple, went back to their previous actions. Zim noted that more people were starting to show up. Maybe he had just gotten there before the rush. He turned back to Moth, who was looking over his car with awe.

"What are these?" Zim asked softly.

"What are these?" Moth repeated, unbelieving. "Iz, these are cards."

"I know that." Zim looked them over. "But what's their primary function?" His technology/military terms came into play for a moment.

"They're the beginning step to becoming a 'White-Tie' member!" Moth said. "You didn't know?"

"No." Zim shook his head. "What's that?"

Moth wiped a hand over his face and treaded his fingers through his ebony hair. "White-Tie members have use of the private rooms downstairs." Moth informed. "It's a very exclusive club within the club."

"It's a real honor, then?" Zim asked.

Moth nodded. "It's like getting a medal in the military. It's a real big deal."

Finally, the boy used terms Zim could understand.

"Okay, then." Zim said. He tucked the card into his pocket.

"You wanna go get some use out of them?" Moth asked.

Zim caught the meaning hidden in his words and smiled. "I think that would be a great idea."

Moth stood and offered his hand to Zim, who took it. Once Zim was off the stool, Moth wrapped his arm around Zim's waist, slipping his hand into his front left pocket. Zim blushed a bit and did the same, putting his hand in Moth's right front pocket instead of left.


	21. Another Encounter

Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! Time for another update! Yes, I know I am evil for leaving a cliffhanger, but it had to be done. Sadly. This next chapter has another edited scene, so lemme know if anything seems choppy!

Nbld: Review Corner! Thank you to suckishLEMONADE, morgana starfire, yaoifangirlforever1716, ArcAngelCrystal, Darkdagers, Moth Mask, and Mio-chan is too lazy to log in for reviewing! Here's some of the CDs mentioned in this chapter for you! (Throws out CDs)

Dlbn: Now it's time for the Question and Answer Corner!

Nbld: More like comment corner, since there weren't many questions. We'll start with actual questions that were posed to us, and then the comments:

ArcAngelCrystal: I had been toying with the idea of having Gir involved for a while. At first it was gonna be a 'no', but then it turned into a 'yes'. It is still a 'yes', to an extent.

suckishLEMONADE: I listened to Waka Laka yesterday after your review. Holy crap, you're right! (Starts playing Waka Laka again)

Mio-chan is too lazy to log in: Happy belated birthday! (Gives you a cake with Invader Zim figurines on it)

Disclaimer: I own nothing outside of the Mask and Krill the shrimp that should be (Name courtesy of Invader Ang). All other characters, places, and species belong to Jhonen C. Vasquez. Words cannot describe his awesomeness.

Dlbn: Before we begin, my 'sister' and I would like to make an announcement!

Nbld: We are sure that a lot of people are aware of the recent string of suicides by gay males in America who have suffered from homophobic abuse in their homes and/or their schools. On Wensday the 20th of October, a group of people on Facebook plan to wear purple to honor these men.

Dlbn: Just wanted to announce it. If anyone wants to wear purple as well, then go right ahead! We will!

000

Downstairs, Zim sat on the bed of a private room as Moth flipped through the small collection of CDs near a CD player on the dresser opposite the bed. It looked like a lower-scale hotel room. Moth had locked the door behind the two of them, saying it was for security and privacy purposes. Zim didn't object. He knew what was likely going to happen between the two of them in the room. It was better if people couldn't walk in on them. Moth hummed a little tune to himself, which Zim recognized as the song that had been playing when he walked into the club that night.

"How long are you going to keep me waiting, Moth?" Zim asked, innocently.

Moth smirked at Zim over his shoulder. "I can't find anything." He said defensively.

"Well, what do we have to choose from?" Zim walked over and looked over Moth's shoulder, wrapping his arms around his waist.

"Depends on if you want something fast or something slow…or something in another language…"

"Another language? Can you understand any of them?"

"Well, this one's in Japanese and this one's in Russian. I can't understand either, but they both sound amazing."

"So pick one of them, then." Zim shrugged.

"Sure?"

"Of course." Zim smiled. "I don't think we'll be listening to the music so much as we'll be listening to each other." Zim licked along the outer shell of Moth's ear. Human biology was fascinating. They had so many bumps that Irkens didn't have. Luckily, their 'nether regions', as his father had called it during 'the talk' when he was 12, were similar. Otherwise, Zim wouldn't have been sure how to treat the other man.

Moth moaned a bit and his knees buckled for a moment before he caught himself and stopped himself from crashing the ground, probably bringing Zim down with him. Zim chuckled against his lover's ear, his hot breath making Moth shiver a bit in anticipation. The other teen pressed 'play' on the CD player and words Zim didn't recognize flew from the speakers. Zim chuckled at the beat of the first one. Perfect for having sex to.

"Every time you do that, it feels like my knees are going to buckle." Moth informed, turning in Zim's grasp. He pulled Zim into a kiss.

Zim moaned and ran his fingers through Moth's hair. He had noticed a girl doing it to her boyfriend in the school hallways earlier. He had seemed to like it, so Zim figured he'd try it out with Moth. Month pulled Zim closer and hungrily engulfed his lips in another kiss. His tongue slid across Zim's lower lip. Zim sighed into the kiss and let his lips slightly slide open. Moth's tongue slid across his bottom teeth. Zim couldn't help but run his fingers up into Moth's dark hair. He wondered briefly who Moth really was, before Moth moved from his lips to his neck, kissing the flesh and lightly drawing his tongue over it. Zim moaned again and started backing up. Moth followed him until Zim's knees were against the bed. Moth pushed him forward a bit more on the shoulder and Zim collapsed onto his back on the bed, Moth following. Together, they crawled up to the pillows. Moth broke the kiss and smiled down at Zim before kissing the corner of his mouth again.

"I love you." Moth said, before rubbing his forehead into Zim's holographic hair. Hopefully it felt the same as real human hair or Moth would know something was up.

"I love you, too." Zim responded, cupping the human's cheek in his hand. He kissed Moth's nose, making the human flush.

Moth kissed a trail down Zim's jaw to his neck, then down the creamy column of flesh to his collar bone. He placed light kisses and licks down the skin until he began to unbutton Zim's shirt.

Zim helped finish off the last few buttons and started to shed the shirt off, but Moth stopped him and kissed down to his chest. He bit lightly into, what looked like, Zim's left nipple and lightly sucked on the flesh. Irkens didn't have nipples like humans did, so Moth was really just nibbling on his skin. Zim moaned anyway. The sensation wasn't really a bad one. He could get used to it. Moth smirked and switched to the other 'nipple' before trailing his tongue down Zim's abdomen. The human's saliva lightly burned his skin, but it was a good burn. It wasn't as bad as when he was younger and someone had decided that throwing water on him in science class was a great prank. It had been the reason he'd been pulled out of school. His mom was a bit paranoid when it came to her children's safety. Red and Purple liked to pick on Zim a lot about it, but Zim was just happy his mother cared enough about him to worry so much. Red and Purple…how were they dealing with the fact that he was gone? Maybe they didn't care, but whatever. Zim knew no matter what they said or how they acted that they really did care about him and…what was Moth's tongue doing?

Zim woke from his thoughts to the sensation of Moth's tongue pressing against his belly. He looked down to notice that Moth was pressing into what looked like a bellybutton, but wasn't. Once again, Moth was just touching Zim's pure flesh. Zim moaned.

"Hm…Moth…" He muttered.

Moth stopped mid lick and shifted his eyes up to look into Zim's false ones. "Mm?" He wondered, asking a question with his eyes.

"Nothing." Zim flushed. "Feels good is all."

Moth smirked and finished the lick he had started. He pulled his tongue back into his mouth and kissed Zim's 'navel'. He grasped Zim's belt in his fingers and pulled it free. He let it hand around Zim's hips before he unbuttoned Zim's jeans halfway. Zim cocked his head to the side questioningly, as Moth pressed his fingers against the lump in his pants. Zim moaned and threw his head back. Moth was so good at pleasing him. Maybe the other teen had a lot of practice? Zim hoped he was a satisfying lover as well, but he didn't have the guts to ask Moth to rate his sexual ability, so he'd just have to keep wondering. Anyone could fake a moan, or even imitate the ones Moth had given the first time they made love, so that wasn't a deciding factor. "Moth…ah…God, stop teasing!" Zim cried out. "Ah!"

Moth smirked and kissed Zim one more time before scaling back up the teen's body to kiss his lips. Moth pressed a twin erection down into Zim's and Zim moaned again. The friction created by his boxers and jeans rubbing against both his and Moth's erections made Zim's vision swim. He could swear his eyeballs were going into the back of his head. Either that or he'd gone blind. Zim was brought back to the real world when Moth pressed his tongue between Zim's lips to meet his. Zim's tongue rushed to meet Moth's, knowing the other immediately. The two appendages rubbed against one another. Zim noticed that Moth's eyes were still closed, and that the other was fully clothed. Something would have to be done about that. Zim wrapped his arms around Moth's neck and pulled his collar slightly to the side of where it was, exposing creamy skin. Human skin was so much different from Irken skin. The color was off and the texture was something different entirely. While silky smooth, Irken skin tended to feel like that of a lizard. Human skin was soft, but not as smooth. Apparently they scarred a bit more, too, because Zim had noticed some scratches on Keef's leg, which he said he'd received a couple years ago. Maybe they were just poor healers?

Moth pulled back suddenly and gave Zim a small smile. "I love you." He whispered.

Zim's antennae danced under his hologram to pick up the low frequency. "I love you, too." He said.

Moth smirked and kissed Zim's temple. While he lingered there, Zim made his move. He slipped his hands down to the hem of Moth's shirt and he lightly pulled it up. Feeling the garment coming off, Moth pulled back from Zim and aided in its removal. Two dusty pink buds were exposed along with as pasty-cream colored skin. Moth's skin was flushed a bit from arousal. Zim took the time to take in the sight of Moth shirtless. His eyes trailed down over slightly-muscled chest and abs and to the dip of a belly button. The rest of Moth was hidden by jeans. Zim could clearly, however, see the erection straining against the dark material. Zim undid Moth's belt and Moth went back to working on his zipper. They both sighed in relief when their trapped erections were freed. Once both of their zippers were undone, Moth pulled back and looked Zim over. Zim flushed a bit as his lover traced his eyes down Zim's sculpted body. Sparring practice really did wonders for the muscles, Zim had to admit. Of course, his brothers and parents, the few times they'd seen him shirtless over the summer, had attributed it to him lifting heavy materials to make his illegal supplies, as well as fixing up and modifying his Voot Runner when the thing needed repairs.

As Moth continued to admire his body, Zim smirked. "Like what you see, Moth?" He asked.

"Very much so." Moth nodded and smirked back. "And it seems you like what you see, too."

Zim nodded. "Of course." He said. "We didn't really take the time to look the last time we…"

"Yeah, I regretted that all week."

"Well, we can make up for it now."

"I don't think either of us could last much longer." Moth motioned to his and Zim's twin erections.

"So how about we finish what we've started?"

"I can agree to that."

Their tongues met in a fight for dominance again, which Zim knew he would let Moth win because he didn't like being on top. Moth lightly pressed Zim back into the pillows with one hand on his shoulder. Zim allowed himself to be led but couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed when Moth broke their kiss. The disappointment soon stopped when Moth made his way back down Zim's body, licking at muscles and making Zim shiver. Once he reached his target, Moth grasped the elastic of Zim's boxers in his teeth and inched them slowly down Zim's legs. Zim lifted himself off the bed a bit to allow the boxers to be pulled down further, then laid back down on the bed as Moth worked them off over socked feet. He pulled Zim's black socks off with his hands, his fingers tickling Zim's feet and making him giggle.

"Tickle?" Moth wondered.

"No." Zim shook his head.

Moth smirked and picked Zim's foot up by the ankle.

"What are you doing?" Zim wondered, arching an antenna.

Moth said nothing and pressed a finger lightly against the bottom of Zim's foot.

"Moth…" Zim warned.

Moth lightly rubbed his finger up and down the flesh, tickling Zim's foot and running a shiver through his spine.

"Moth, stop!" Zim laughed. "My feet are ticklish!"

Moth smirked. "Are they, now…?"

"Yea, they are. Oh, don't you get any…ah!" Zim couldn't help but kick his feet a bit and turn to try and escape Moth's touch.

After being tickled for about five minutes, Moth finally let up. He reached over and rummaged through a desk drawer to find what he needed.

"I love you." Moth said again.

"I love you, too." Zim had to admit that though they were both saying it quite a lot, it wasn't getting old. It was sweet, really.

"Are you ready?"

Zim nodded. Moth began to slowly enter Zim, stopping when he thought he felt Zim twitch. Moth kissed the other boy

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Fine." Zim nodded, unclenching the sheets that had been tight in his fists.

Moth chuckled, apparently having noticed it, and kissed Zim's temple. "Sure you are."

"I'm fine." Zim moaned. "Keep going."

"Moth…I'm…I'm…"

A couple more movements and Zim cried out.

"Moth!"

"Mm…Iz…I'm…" Moth muttered. A moment passed before he cried out Zim's club name loudly.

Once they were both spent, Moth collapsed down on Zim, lying over his shoulder. He pulled out of the teen beneath him before lying next to him, panting.

"I love you." Moth said between pants.

"Mm, I love you, too." Zim responded.

Moth laid his arm out and Zim curled up against his chest, one hand on flesh. Moth's arm curled over Zim's waist and hugged him close.


	22. Aftermath

Dlbn: Hey there everyone! I meant to update sooner, but my friends' pointless argument over whatever the hell it was last night took up my time. Not to mention that I feel ready to crash, but enough about me. On with the fic!

Nbld: Review Corner! Thank you to morgana starfire, suckishLEMONADE, Darkdagers, Invader Ang and Mio-chan's Return for reviewing! (Throws out mystery boxes) Whatever you want is inside!

Dlbn: Now it's time for the Question and Answers segment. (Since I know you all LOVE these things, sarcasm intended)

suckishLEMONADE: I started off in the Invader Zim fandom when I was in about 6th grade or so, maybe 5th, and ZADR disturbed me in the beginning, too. But now…well… (Flush)

Invader Ang: That's understandable. I went a whole week without internet once. It didn't end well for the people I was with. Seriously, I got so bored. Congratulations on making it through!

Mio-chan's Return: No need to apologize for that. I don't log in sometimes either to review :3

Joking time aside, I am so sorry that you had to go through all of that. No one should and the people involved should rot in hell for the rest of eternity for it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Krill and The Mask. All other characters, places, and Invader Zim-related items belong to Jhonen C. Vasquez. I make NO profit off of this.

000

Later that night, Dib awoke to the sound of someone knocking on the door.

"Yes?" Dib asked, half asleep, as he curled closer to Iz.

"It's the doorman." A voice informed outside. "The manager wants me to tell you that the club is closing. It's four am. Should I call you two a cab?"

"Sure." Dib muttered, nuzzling into Iz's deep brown hair.

"Alright, then. I'll come back and let you know when it gets here."

Dib heard footsteps going away from the room. He pulled Iz closer by the waist, feeling the smoothness of Iz's rear end against his skin. "Iz?" He asked, wondering if the other was awake or not.

"Yea?" Iz wondered sleepily.

"Just making sure you're up."

"I am." Iz cuddled backwards into Dib, making him groan. "Feel good?"

"You know damn well it did." Dib chuckled.

"Should I do it again?"

Dib caught Iz's hip in his hand and stopped him from bucking backwards again. "Not now. The cab's on the way."

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Iz muttered. He turned and faced Dib. "That was fun." He chuckled, running a hand over Dib's chest and up to his shoulder.

"That's a new way to describe it." Dib laughed. "But yeah, it was."

Iz kissed him lightly. Dib pulled the other close before a knock on the door made them separate.

"Yes?" Iz wondered, not breaking eye contact with Dib. It made the raven haired male shiver.

"The cab is here." The doorman said. "I'll hold him for you."

Iz chuckled. "Alright." He said.

"We better go, then." Dib said. "Do you have to be home a certain time?"

"Not really." Iz shook his head. "You?"

"Dad won't care if I stayed out all night." Dib chuckled.

"Wanna come back to my place?"

All of the color drained from Dib's face. Iz was…asking him to come over? "Your place…"

Iz nodded. "That's not a problem, is it?" All the color that had left Dib's face found its way to Iz's. "I knew I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry, I…"

"No, it's fine." Dib cupped Iz's cheek in his left hand. "I just didn't expect it." He smiled softly. "I'd love to see where you live." Dib smiled.

"Really?" Iz smiled back. "Cool. Let's go then."

Dib nodded with a smirk. "We had better get dressed first. Don't want to cause a riot out of the people left dancing." He winked.

"Good idea." Iz chuckled. "We'd never be allowed in here again."

Dib laughed. "Yeah." They both got up and Dib handed Iz his pants and shirt from the floor, before starting to get dressed in his own.

000

The taxi let Zim and Moth off at the former's home about ten minutes later. Zim had given the cabbie the fare before he had zoomed off at inhuman speeds, probably to answer a dispatch call. Moth stared at Zim's house while Zim shifted from one foot to the other.

"So…you wanna go in?" He asked.

"Huh?" Moth looked at him. He smiled. "I'd love to." He was flushing, as was Zim, but the awkwardness seemed to fit.

Zim unlocked the front door with the key he'd made his first day in town. They stepped inside. The blinds had been slightly open and slants of light fell across the carpet. The house was a bit cool, which was probably a good thing. Moth was looking around the living room.

"You have this place all to yourself?" Moth wondered.

"Yup." Zim nodded. "What do you think?"

"It's incredible." Moth smiled. "Kind of like you."

Zim flushed darker than before, if that were possible. "Oh, thank you." He said.

Moth smirked. Zim smiled back and took a seat on the couch. "There isn't a lot to do around here." He admitted. "But uh…this is it." He laughed.

"I don't mind just hanging out." Moth took a seat next to him.

Zim smiled. This was going better than he'd anticipated. Not that he had anticipated things going badly, but still. He sat down next to Moth on the couch. "So uh…you want something to eat, or drink?" Zim wondered.

"Naw, I'm good." Moth responded. "So…if you don't mind me asking…how do you _afford_ this place? I mean, you live alone, right?"

"To be honest, I had a job back home and I made a ton of money from it." Zim flushed. "I use that. I probably wouldn't have left home if I hadn't had the money, really." He chuckled a bit.

"Oh?" Moth quirked an eyebrow. "And what kind of job would that be?"

"Well…it's certainly not one that hints to what I can do in bed, that's for sure." Zim winked.

Moth flushed. "I hadn't even considered that."

"You're a terrible liar, you know that?" Zim giggled.

"Heh, yeah, I know. My sister tells me that all the time."

"My brothers say the same thing to me. Normally followed or accompanied by one of them putting me in a headlock and messing up my hair…"

"My sister doesn't do that, thank god. I'd be so embarrassed if she did."

"I imagine."

"I assume your brothers are older than you?"

"Yup. Your sister?"

"Younger."

"You two get along?"

"Oh, fairly well." Moth shrugged. "She's the only one who really knows that I'm gay. Well, I mean, that the real me is gay." He flushed.

"I get what you mean." Zim smiled. "And she says…?"

"She's pretty open to it." Moth shrugged. "I mean, when I tell her I meet a new gy, she asks me if they're cute."

Zim chuckled. "Did you tell her about me?"

"Maybe." Moth smirked.

"Aw, come on. You're not going to tell me?" Zim playfully pouted.

Moth leaned forward and captured Zim's lips in his own. He pulled back after a moment or two.

"Nope." He winked.

Zim rolled his eyes and giggled. "Whatever." He said.

"So what about your family?" Moth asked. "Do they know?"

"My whole family knows about me. My brothers don't seem to care either way." Zim shrugged. "Mom and dad don't mind. They just tell me to be careful. Especially dad. He says that older guys can try and take advantage of me."

"So he just warns you about older men?" Moth wondered. "Younger guys are much hornier."

"Ain't that the truth." Zim looked Moth up and down.

"Hey!"

000

Dib flopped down on his bed a little later in the day. He'd spent most of the day at Iz's place, until his sister called and said that their dad was on his way home and that he needed to get his ass home too or else. He'd been reluctant to leave Iz's home, but Iz had understood and said he had plans tomorrow that he needed to get ready for anyway. Dib opened up the newest UFO-zine that had come in the mail and started to flip through it, when his door flew open. Dib stashed the magazine under his pillows and watched his friends walk in.

"What are you guys doing here?" Dib asked.

"Football game in the park. You in?" Torque wondered.

"You want me to go play football with you?"

"Do you think we're nuts?" Rob laughed. "Naw, we need a ref."

"Oh, thanks." Dib rolled his eyes. "I just got home."

"You did?"

"My dad wanted to show me something at his lab and I stayed with him all night. He brought me home this morning. Ask Gaz, she'll vouch."

"We believe you." Brian rolled his eyes. "Unless you really are lying, there's no need to be nervous."

"Yeah, I mean, it's not like you were at Zim's house, watching him through the window."

"I don't even know where he lives!" Dib sat up quickly.

"Your sister was there for that party yesterday, wasn't she?"

"So? I didn't ask for his address." Dib shook his head. "Why would I go over to his house and stalk him, anyway?"

"Dude, don't get so flustered." Torque laughed. "We're just messing with you."

"By claiming that I wanna stalk Zim?"

"You _do_ stare at him a lot." Torque chuckled. "I mean, if you put two and two together…"

"I'm just…trying to figure him out." Dib shook his head. "He's…strange."

"Strange?" Rob wondered.

"He lies, he lies some more, he tells the truth. How do we know he's not going to lie again? And what does he have to hide that's so bad that he needs to lie all the time instead of being truthful? And I'm kind of wondering what he got in trouble for with his mom."

"Nothing he's gonna tell, man." Torque shook his head. "I've asked him a few times and he refuses to answer me."

"Hey, I've got a question that needs answering." Rob said. "How come every time we get even close to calling you gay, you freak out?"

"I don't freak out."

"Yes you do." Rob nodded.

"Well…" Dib flushed. "You said the park for the game, right? Let's get going."

The others shared a look. "Alright." Torque said. "Let's go kick some ass."

000

Zim flipped through channels on the new TV he had bought with his computer-generated money. Nothing good was on, which was pretty strange considering that it was a weekend. There had to be something else he could do to pass the time when not in school. Well, he considered himself an Invader, since he was infiltrating the planet and whatnot, albeit it was an accident. Anyway, Invaders had SIR Units to be their companions and help them out…maybe he could…hm…

Zim turned the TV off and went to his pile of scrap metal on the bookshelf. He'd looked around town and found bigger sheets by the dumpsters of various places. He had what he needed, though he was short a CPU and some wires. Maybe he could attempt to build a SIR Unit…then again, he wasn't good with robots, just weapons. Oh well. What was the worst that could happen?

000

Zim learned what the worst thing that could happen was, when the makeshift SIR Unit exploded on him. He took a step back and waved a hand at the smoke in front of him that resulted from the explosion. Zim coughed as the smoke dissipated. The 'robot' sat, lifeless, on the table before him. A few sparks shot out from wires, but that was the only sign that electricity had been flowing through.

"Okay." Zim coughed. "So don't connect the red and blue wires. Got it." He picked up a screwdriver and loosened a screw to get into the inner workings of the robot. Wires crisscrossed over a motherboard that Zim had no idea as to the origins of. He hoped it would be enough, or at least have a speech function. Zim scanned over the wires, his ruby eyes shifting back and forth. He tried disconnecting and reconnecting some more wires, then turned it on. It sparked wildly and sent Zim flying, smoke billowing out again.

"Damn it!" Zim cursed, wiping across his eyes with the back of his arm.

The doorbell went off and Zim cursed again. He stood up, shook soot off of himself, and walked to the table. He turned the electricity off and put a sheet over the robot. Once it was hidden, he left the backroom and turned on his hologram. Zim went to the living room and pushed open the door, not bothering to check who was there through the peephole. Keef was standing behind it, his green eyes wide and practically glowing.

"Oh, hi, Keef." Zim greeted.

"Hey, Zim!" Keef beamed. "Are you busy?"

"Not really." Zim scratched the back of his head. "Why?"

"I wanna go back to that club we hung out at on the day we met. You wanna go with me?"

"Now?" Zim wondered. "Gee, Keef, this is really short notice, man. I…"

"I know it is. I'm sorry. It was just an impulse. But, I mean, you live alone. It's not like your parents would say no, right?"

"No, but…" Zim sighed. "I really should be doing homework so I can hang out tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah." Keef flushed. "Sorry. I only had Mr. C's math homework. I didn't think you had more either. Sorry."

"It's okay." Zim responded with a smile. "I'll catch you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay!" Keef smiled. "12, remember?"

"Noon." Zim nodded.

"Okay, bye!"

Zim watched Keef turn and skip down the walkway, and then down the road. He sighed and shook his head, shutting the door behind him. Back to work.

000

Dib sat in the grass near where his friends were playing football with some other guys. The other boys looked like they went to a different school, but they could have gone to Skool and Dib just didn't know them. He wasn't really paying attention to who was winning. His thoughts were drifting more to Zim than the game. _Did_ he have a crush on the other boy? He thought about Zim quite a lot, his friends were right. And it wasn't a secret that he had been watching Zim pretty closely for the past few days. It wasn't for any real reason, or so Dib thought, but it was obvious enough. And why in the world did he care if his friends believed Keef? He _was_ gay, though he wasn't ready to admit it to them. So why…?

"Yo, Dib!" Torque called his name. "Did you catch that play?"

"Huh?" Dib wondered. "Yeah, of course."

"Well?"

"Uh…you're out?" Dib offered.

The kids he didn't know all shared looks and laughed.

"Wrong game, man." Rob said, flushing.

"I'm gonna call that fair." Torque said with a roll of his eyes. "Pay attention, ref!"

Dib gave him a sarcastic thumbs up. "You got it!"

He zoned out again as his friends went back to playing their game. Zim. Thoughts of the new boy kept intruding, no matter how much he tried to focus on other things. Maybe Dib had a crush on him, or at least a little interest. Maybe he could talk Zim into hanging out for a day…just to see if there was anything between them.

"Dib!" Torque called again. "Did you get that?"

"Strike?" Dib wondered.

The others groaned.


	23. A Chat With Gaz

Dlbn: Hey there everyone! Time for another installment of Iz Moth!

Nbld: Review Corner! Thank you to suckishLEMONADE, yaoifangirlforever1716, ArcAngelCrystal, morgana starfire, Invader Ang, Darkdagers, and Mio-chan's Return for reviewing! A Zim-made Gir for each of you!

Dlbn: And now it's time for the Review Reply/Question and Answer segment!

Nbld: Rushing things, are we? Fine.

suckishLEMONADE: Please don't throw up. It's not fun, lol :P

Invader Ang: Yeah, Dib's going through some shit right now. I'll knock some sense into him. (Smack's Dib)

Darkdagers: It's going to be interesting if/when Dib tells one about the other. I already have that whole part planned out ;)

Mio-Chan's Return: No need to apologize. It's America. You can say whatever you want!

Disclaimer: I own nothing besides The Mask and Krill, the Shrimp who is God-knows-where right now. All characters, places, species, themes, and references to Invader Zim belong to Jhonen C. Vasquez. Join Operation head Pigeons and help bring IZ back. No pun intended.

Dlbn: When I was writing the next part with Keef, I had clicked on a video on YouTube and the song, "My Best Friend's Hot" started playing. It fits Keef so well in this fic. I burst into laughter. Give it a listen if you want. It's kind of funny ^^

Holy crap, I did upload the wrong chapter. WTF was I on? Sorry everyone! Here's the real thing!

Now that that is all out of the way, time for the chapter to begin!

000

Once noon came around the next day, Zim waited on the couch watching TV. He had completed the framework for the robot, but getting it to work without sparking was still an issue. Too bad he didn't have good training in robotics. Or good knowledge of it, at least, considering he wasn't trained to make the stuff he'd been selling. Speaking of, Zim wondered if his customers were upset about him not bringing anything to them, and not hearing from him. He wasn't able to check his email because it wasn't an intergalactic site. Humans didn't have much of the stuff he was used to dealing with everyday. For instance, on Earth he no longer had a computer to get to do things for him. Back home, robotic arms would make his bed, throw his clothes in the hamper, and even dust his room at his command. A simple, 'computer, could you…' had the tasks done quickly. Now he had to do things on his own. A bit boring, but necessary, he supposed.

The doorbell rang and Zim shut off the TV. He walked over and opened the door to see Keef. Dressed in a button down shirt and black pants, he looked nothing like he did in school. His hair and eyes were as vibrant as ever, though.

"Heyya, buddy." Keef grinned. "Ready to go?" He looked Zim over. "Looking fine…"

"Uh. Thanks…?" Zim flushed. "You look different."

"Family function. I have to dress 'appropriate'." Keef rolled his eyes.

A horn honked.

"Keef, let's go!" A male voice called from the SUV in front of Zim's house. "Stop ogling your friend, would you?"

Keef rolled his eyes. "Coming, dad!" Keef yelled over his shoulder. "You ready to go, Zim?"

"Yeah." Zim nodded. He locked the door and followed Keef to the black car that was waiting.

"You must be Zim." Keef's mom, or who Zim assumed was his mother, greeted Zim. "I'm Keef's mother, and this is his father."

"Nice to meet you, kid." Keef's dad grunted as the boys buckled up.

"Same here, sir." Zim smiled.

"I like this one." Keef's dad said. "He has discipline. Not too many kids do."

"I come from a military family, Sir." Zim informed.

"So you're taught to behave." Keef's dad looked at Zim in the rearview. "Good."

No one spoke for a moment.

"Alright, there's an elephant in the car that needs addressing." Keef's dad said after a while. "I have to ask you something, kid."

"Yes, sir?" Zim wondered.

"Are you like Keef?"

"Gay?" Zim asked. He shook his head. "No, sir. I have a girlfriend back home."

Keef seemed to sigh out in relief, but thankfully his parents didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, you do?" Keef's mom asked. "And what is the lovely young lady's name?"

"Kr…Krissy." Zim said.

He almost said 'Krill', but that didn't seem like a human name. Then again, human names were pretty weird as well.

"Is that short for anything?"

"No." Zim shook his head. "Her mother always loved the name Krissy. Her father wanted to name her Christina, but her mother argued that 'Krissy' didn't work with 'Christina' because one was with a 'K' and the other was with a 'C'." Zim shrugged. "I heard their argument about it once. It was quite entertaining."

"I hope you find our family that entertaining." Keef giggled.

"Keef, please don't giggle." His father said.

"Sorry, dad, I can't help it." Keef giggled again before stopping. "I'm done."

Zim chuckled.

000

Since being referee hadn't gone well the day before, Dib had elected to stay home while his friends played another game in the park. As usual, his father was gone at work and not around. Gaz sat on one end of the living room couch playing her Game Slave and Dib sat on the other side. His back leaned up against the armrest as he flipped through his UFO-zine.

"Don't you ever get tired of those things?" Gaz wondered.

"Don't you ever get tired of your game?" Dib countered.

"There's nothing boring about fighting the Vampire Piggies." Gaz was completely serious as she answered.

"Okay, then." Dib rolled his eyes. "Is that the only game you play? At least I get a new issue every month."

"If I got a new game every month, we'd be in the poor house." Gaz replied. "I don't care how much money dad makes."

"You should just work for a game store." Dib said. "They give discounts to employees, I heard."

Gaz raised an eyebrow and glared at him over the top of the gaming system in her hands. "You made me lose that level." She sneered.

"Sorry." The sarcasm in Dib's voice was evident.

She growled and began the level again. "I hate you sometimes." She muttered.

"Love you too, Gaz." Dib rolled his eyes. "Why don't you just go to Zim's or something? You two get along pretty well."

"Jealous?"

"What?" Dib flushed. "No!"

"Yeah, you are."

"What makes you say that?"

"I can tell when you like someone, Dib, I'm not dumb." Gaz rolled her eyes. "You _do_ like him, don't you?"

"We're friends, sort of."

"Not what I mean."

"I've got a boyfriend, thank you. At the club."

"What's his name?"

"I don't know his real name. He calls himself Iz."

"And you call yourself…?"

"Moth." Dib muttered softly.

"Iz and Moth, huh?" Gaz smirked. "Kind of cute."

Dib rolled his eyes. "Why do you care anyway?" He slid further down into the couch's plush.

"I don't. But if I _have_ to give you a reason, its cause Zim is my friend. And if you like him, I think I have a duty to tell him that."

"He's not gay." Dib shook his head. "And I am, but I don't want him, of all people, knowing. What if he says something?"

"To who? I know you're gay, Keef suspects it, and no one else in the group really cares." Gaz rolled her eyed.

"But if word gets out to my friends…or dad?" Dib sighed. "I don't even know how he'd react to it, and I'd rather have him be the first to know, other than you."

Gaz shrugged. "Not my problem."

They didn't speak for a long time, Gaz's video game providing most of the noise.

"So…does he like me?" Dib asked.

"Huh?"

"Zim. Does he like me? Is that why you're asking if I like him?"

"Not that I know of." Gaz shook her head. "He'd tell me, I'd think, if he did."

"Oh."

"Do _you _like _him_?"

"Well…a bit, I guess." Dib flushed. "I mean, he's cute and all…but…look, I have Iz. I don't need anyone else."

"If I get this whole underground club scene thing right, having a boyfriend in the club doesn't mean you're seeing one another outside of it, right?"

"Well, with a club boyfriend, no. You only date in the club. You're not exclusive. I don't know if Iz and me are club boyfriends, though…"

"You called him your boyfriend."

"He's the closest thing I got, let's leave it at that." Dib shrugged. "We're more like a casual hookup than anything."

"Hookup?"

"Yeah, yeah, get it out of your system." Dib's flush was red as a strawberry.

"So you…?"

"Sleep together? Yeah." Dib hid behind his magazine. "I mean, only a couple times, but…"

"Do you have feelings for him?"

"I have sex with him, Gaz. Of course I do."

"And how do you think he feels about you?"

"We both say 'I love you' a lot, so…" Dib flushed. "I think he does. We haven't discussed being boyfriends or anything."

"If you want to be, I'd say go for it. Worst he can do is say he's not ready for that."

"Yeah, I guess."

Iz being his boyfriend…? It sounded so…_right_…


	24. Reunion

Dlbn: Hey everyone! Time for another update! First off, I'd like to apologize for that little chapter repeat when I last updated. Clicked the wrong document when I uploaded it. Oops! Thanks to suckishLEMONADE, ArcAngelCrystal, Invader Ang, and Lady Zahara for letting me know!

Nbld: Review corner! Thank you to suckishLEMONADE, ArcAngelCrystal, Invader Ang, and Lady Zahara, Darkdagers, morgana starfire, TheAwesomeTrio'sAwesomeAmerica, Mio-chan's Return, Invader Ang -in stealth mode, SUCKISHlemonade, and yaoifangirlforever1716 for reviewing! (Yes, I realize who is who here :P)

Dlbn: And now it's time for the Question and Answer segment! (Cause I'm sure you guys all love seeing these things, right? :P)

TheAwesomeTrio'sAwesomeAmerica: I never actually thought of Keef's appearance. He doesn't look the same as in the show, because they're older here. Same color hair and eyes, of course, because I don't wanna change that. He's definitely taller. Zim told Keef in an earlier chapter, I think…well, he actually didn't give an answer. More like worked around it. Keef knows though. He's cool like that

Mio-chan's Return: Yes, Zim needs a severe ass kicking. First he thinks of Krill all the time, and now he won't come out? Silly boy.

Invader Ang -in stealth mode: Zim's lying skills are quite impressive, yes. And the government tells him that he's not ready to be an invader. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Disclaimer: I own nothing outside of Krill and The Mask. All characters, places, species, things, blah, blah, blah, belong to Jhonen C. Vasquez, I make no money…blah, blah, you know the drill!

***This chapter is dedicated in memory of the six gay males who committed suicide due to discrimination and intolerance. Our thoughts and prayers are with you***

000

Zim and Keef sat at a table with Keef's parents, and people who had been introduced as his aunt, uncle, and two younger cousins. The girl looked like she didn't want to be there and the boy was completely engrossed in the game he was playing. He reminded Zim of Gaz, a little bit. He hardly looked up unless it was to glare at someone for annoying him. The rest of Keef's family, that Zim had met at least, seemed pretty normal. Zim felt like he was at a party back home. He sure missed those. Good food, good music, good company…Krill…damn. Why was Zim thinking of him now? First it was Dib who wouldn't get out of his head, and now Krill was coming in. Zim shook his head to knock away the thoughts and received a glare from Keef's cousin.

"You having a fit or something?" He asked.

"No, no, just clearing my head." Zim shook his head once.

"Don't be mean Meef." Keef's aunt said. "Sorry there, Zim."

"It's fine." Zim smiled. "My brothers give me a harder time back home."

"So you live alone, huh?" Keef's uncle asked. "How does that work out?"

"Better then you'd think, actually. I mean, sometimes it's hard with money and stuff, but I'm doing okay, overall." Zim smiled.

"I wouldn't want to live alone." The girl said.

"You'd miss your family, right?" Zim asked. "I miss mine, too."

Did they miss him? Most likely. His siblings were probably looking for him, his mother was freaking out because she couldn't find him, and his dad was consoling her and refusing to let her give up. Zim smiled softly at the thought.

"What's got you all smiles, sunshine?" Keef wondered.

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about something is all." Zim said, ignoring the nickname.

Keef's father, however, didn't. "Keef, please." His dad groaned. "Don't embarrass your friend."

"Aw, he don't mind. Do you, Zim?" Keef looked at him with puppy-dog eyes.

"If I say no, will you stop doing that?" Zim wondered.

Keef giggled.

"No, I don't mind." Zim laughed.

Keef's mother rolled her eyes. "Another interesting day with Keef." She said with a smile.

Zim laughed. "Yeah, you can say that again."

"So how are classes going for you boys?" Keef's uncle asked. "Are you two in any classes together?"

"Math!" Keef said. "Isn't Mr. C. just fabulous, Zim?"

"He's a great teacher. But if he says that we're studying 'the joys of' something one more time, I might have to shoot myself." Zim laughed.

"Yeah, that's funny." The girl said, rolling her eyes. "I'm gonna go get some food from the buffet." She stood and left.

"I didn't mean to offend…" Zim started off.

"She's fine." Keef's aunt assured him. "Don't worry about it. just don't say stuff like that anymore, okay?"

"Sure thing, ma'am."

"What other classes do you have together?" Keef's uncle asked.

"Quite a few, actually." Zim said. "Math, History, Gym, English…we have lunch together, too. If you consider that a class, that is."

"And science." Keef added. "We just don't have a couple study halls and an elective or two. Zim's not in chorus with me." Keef pouted.

"I can't sing for the life of me." Zim said. "I'd scare everyone out of the room if I was in that."

"Oh, you can't be that bad!" Keef argued. "Don't give me that crap!"

Zim rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say."

"Do you take any music classes?" Keef's mom asked.

"No, I take mechanics instead."

"Mechanics? A little thing like you?" Keef's father mused.

"Dad!" Keef scolded, flushing. "I'm sorry, Zim. I know you don't like…"

"It's fine." Zim shrugged. "I don't like people just saying I'm short. People tend to do that for no reason. It's kind of embarrassing, cause my brothers and my parents are so tall."

"Your parents are supposed to be taller." Keef's cousin said, not looking up from his game.

"Yeah, I know, but my brothers are almost their height."

"How tall are your brothers?"

"Uh…" Zim had to think for a second. "6 foot 3, I think."

"Both of them?"

"They're twins."

"Oh." Keef's cousin obviously didn't care much.

"Pretty tall. How tall are your parents?" Keef's aunt inquired.

"Mom's 6 foot 5 and dad's 6 foot 4"."

"They're pretty tall, then."

"How come you're not?" Keef's cousin asked.

"Meef!" Keef scolded again.

"It's fine, really." Zim smiled a bit, though he was actually pretty annoyed with Meef about it. Irkens didn't like people talking about height much, but smaller Irkens like Zim really hated it. he was only about 5 foot 5, maybe 5 foot 6. "My brothers pick on me for it."

"But why are you guys so far off in height, anyway?" Meef's sister asked, sitting down with a plate of food.

"My brothers and I are all adopted." Zim shrugged. "So we didn't get the genes of either of our parents." Zim laughed a bit.

"You never told me you were adopted." Keef said.

"It never came up." Zim said. "I mean, it's not like I'm ashamed about it or anything. I think it's pretty cool. I'd probably be dead by now if it wasn't for mom. She found me in the streets as a kid."

"Oh, Zim!" Keef latched onto him. "I didn't know _any_ of this!"

"Keef, get off. People don't like when you latch onto them." Keef's dad rolled his eyes at his son.

Keef pulled back sheepishly. "I forget that sometimes." He giggled.

Zim smiled softly. "I don't mind."

Keef squealed and latched onto him again.

Zim sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything."

000

Dib swiveled back and forth on a stool at the bar inside The Mask. The bartender was off doing his job, so Dib was alone. Iz wasn't anywhere in sight, but then again, he had said he'd had plans for the day. Dib normally didn't go to The Mask during the day, but he needed some time to think, and his friends wouldn't find him here. He had put on his old trench-coat and flipped the hood up. He also dressed in clothes that he normally reserved for The Mask, so there was no chance of them knowing it was him, should one of them spot him or un into him. Even his glasses had been ditched for contacts. He did that every time he went to The Mask, though. It was awkward to have his glasses on and his mask at the same time. He'd tried wearing his glasses over the mask once, but it hadn't looked good. After what seemed like forever, the bartender walked over to Dib.

"Your little friend here yet?" He asked.

"No." Dib shook his head. "He said he was busy today."

"Hm." The bartender nodded once. "I can understand that. He's gotta have a life outside of this place, right?" He laughed.

"Yeah, that's true."

"You have a life outside of here, don't you?"

"Of course I do. My friends are just playing football in the park today, and it didn't work out so well when I was their ref yesterday."

"No?"

"I don't know the first thing about football."

The bartender laughed. "Nice work, kid." He noticed more customers approaching the bar and left Dib to himself again.

The club was surprisingly crowded for being the middle of the day. Though, it was a weekend, so Dib guessed that that had explained things. A couple guys started talking to him, and offered to take him somewhere better, but Dib opted out, insisting that he had a boyfriend. The guys had winked and left with smiles on their faces, moving on to the next guy at the counter. Dib sighed. Maybe he really did consider Iz to be his boyfriend. He'd have to find out if Iz felt the same.

000

Zim sat in the lobby of the hotel where Keef's family reunion was taking place. They had been outside earlier, but then a burst of rain started up. Though he wanted to help everyone outside pick up, Zim had to dive under the pavilion so he wouldn't get burned. He explained it a bit to Keef, so it was okay. Keef didn't get how a human could be allergic to water. Zim had wrote it off by saying that it was just pollutants in water that bothered him sometimes. Keef had understood that and explained it to his parents. They seemed to get it too and wrote it off. Meef and his sister glared at Zim from the potted plant they were standing under in the lobby. They hadn't been too happy that he hadn't had to help, but Keef said that since he wasn't family, he wasn't obligated to help. Everything was being set back up in the hotel ballroom.

"That was so embarrassing." Zim muttered. "Sorry, Keef."

"Sorry?" Keef wondered. "You did nothing wrong."

"I mean, jumping out of the rain like that…"

"It's fine. I told you I understand." Keef smiled. "And don't worry about my cousins. They're too young to get it."

"I know." Zim smiled softly. "I'm still embarrassed."

Keef's smile faded a bit. "Sorry." He said. "I'm not going to tell you how to feel, but there's really nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Well…" Zim flushed. "I know what you mean."

"Kids? Keef's dad asked, walking into the lobby from the ballroom. "The ballroom's set up. You can go in now."

Keef's relatives all poured into the ballroom, Meef and his sister shoving past Zim. Keef steadied him. "Watch it, you guys!" Keef called. "Sorry." He flushed. "You okay, Zim?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Zim nodded. "Let's go in."

Keef grabbed his arm as he started to walk off. "Wait." He ordered.

"Yes?" Zim asked.

Keef sighed and leaned forward. Before Zim could react, the redhead's lips were pressed to his. Keef pulled back quickly and fled into the ballroom. Zim blinked and wiped his mouth off a bit before following.


	25. Confessions Of A Teenage Dib

Dlbn: Greetings everyone! It's time for another update of Iz Moth! (Dances) I know this is a little shorter then usual, but I wanted to get something out before the weekend is over and I am forced to resume my research paper. (Sweat-drops) And I'm also watching a particularly upsetting episode of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood right now, and don't know how long it's going to last before I start getting all depressed in writing, so yea…but enough about that.

Keef's grandfather's name was inspired by Invader Ang's review of name suggestions. I couldn't resist. Thank you! :3

Nbld: Review Corner! Thank you to suckishLEMONADE, TheAwesomeTrio'sAwesomeAmerica, Invader Ang, Darkdagers, morgana starfire, yaoifangirlforever1716, ArcAngelCrystal, Ukana Uchiha, Mio-chan's Return, IHeartLinkX3 for reviewing! (Throws out hammers to hit Keef with.)

Dlbn: Question and Answer time! Because I know everyone loves these things :3

TheAwesomeTrio'sAwesomeAmerica: I can't see Keef being as stalkerish as in the show, but he's got some of those creepy qualities.

Invader Ang: Yeah, KAZR makes me a little sick too. I think I just threw up in my mouth…but that aside, love the name suggestions. Like is aid before, I used one :3

Disclaimer: I own nothing outside of Krill and The Mask. All characters, themes, species, and places belong to Jhonen C Vasquez.

000

After hanging out at The Mask for what seemed like forever, Dib pushed open the door to his home. His father was, surprisingly, watching TV from the sofa. He took a sip from a cup of what was probably coffee and looked over his paper at the sound of the door opening. He seemed to smile when he saw his son, but with his lab coat's collar still turned up over his mouth, Dib wasn't sure.

"Hi, dad." Dib said with a small grin.

"Hello, Dib." His father responded. "Where were you all afternoon?"

"I wanted to see if the guys were busy, and they were, so I just walked around the city." Dib lied.

"Ah." Membrane nodded once. "You finish all of your homework?"

"I didn't have any."

"Good." Membrane went back to reading his paper.

"I'll just be…uh…in my room." Dib said. "Online…"

"Have fun."

Dib raised an eyebrow. He shook off his confusion and started for the stairs.

"You dropped something, son."

Dib turned. His mask was laying on the floor.

"Oh." He said. "Thanks." He went back and retrieved it.

"What is it, anyway?"

"Just a tie." Dib said.

"Tie?"

"Torque used it for flag football yesterday. I got it back from him today."

"Ah." Membrane said again. "Well, run along, then."

Dib wiped the sweat from his brow and went up the steps. Gaz was sitting on the top step, playing her Game Slave as usual.

"Close one." She said with a smirk.

"Shut up, Gaz." Dib ordered as he passed her.

She stood and followed him. "Are you going to tell him about the club?"

"Maybe eventually." Dib shrugged. "I don't think I need to."

"You will if he finds out that that wasn't a tie."

Dib glared as his sister smirked at him. "Whatever." He walked into his room and slammed the door.

"You can't hide from your problems forever, brother." Gaz informed. "It's best to tell him now before he finds out another way."

Dib didn't answer. He heard footfalls heading away from his room. Once he was sure she was gone, he put his headphones on and started up his CD player.

000

Zim fiddled with the food on his plate. He'd only taken a small piece of chicken and a few strawberries. After the little fiasco with the rain, and with Keef kissing him, he wasn't in the mood to eat. The DJ the family had hired had said they'd be playing games after, and Zim didn't want to play on a full stomach anyway. Keef was silent, though his family was talking loudly around him. Meef and his sister and parents had decided to switch tables and sit with other family members. They had claimed it was to catch up, but Zim had a feeling that it was because Keef's cousins didn't want to be near him. They didn't seem to like him much. For now, they sat with Keef's grandparents, from his father's side, and an unmarried uncle. If it wasn't for the fact that the uncle had red hair and that the grandparents had Keef's green eyes, Zim wouldn't have known they were related.

"So…Zim…you're allergic to rain…?" Keef's grandfather asked.

"Sometimes pollutants in the rain bother me, is all." Zim responded.

Keef's grandfather didn't seem to believe him.

"Queef, please." His wife said. "Let the poor boy eat in peace."

"Eat what?" Queef wondered. "He didn't get much."

"I'm not very hungry." Zim interjected into the conversation.

"I wasn't really asking you, boy."

"Dad, please!" Keef's father finally stepped in. "Sorry, Zim. My father hasn't had his nap yet today. Excuse his behavior."

"It's okay." Zim smiled softly, though he really was annoyed. No reason for causing a problem.

"You say that a lot." Keef pointed out quietly.

"Yea, I guess." Zim laughed, sending his friend a small smile.

Keef offered a smile back.

"Is something wrong, son?" Keef's father asked.

"I'm not feeling the greatest." Keef flushed. "I'll be fine. I'll just sleep in the car."

"You can use our hotel room if you want a nap, Keef." His grandmother informed him.

"Oh, I don't want to be a problem. I…"

"Take it, Keef." Queef ordered.

"I don't…"

"I'll walk you up." Zim offered.

Keef smiled. "Thanks."

They both pushed their chairs out from the table and left.

000

Dib flipped through his UFO-Zine again. No matter how long he'd had it, the articles were still interesting. The one about crop circles was particularly fascinating. The closest thing he had seen to a crop circle was when a cow was rolling around on the grass in a field. He'd gotten "Paranormal Investigator" on his career day test, and had to spend the day with an official investigator named Bill. The man turned out to be a crock, believing in stuff that wasn't real. That day hadn't ended too well. A knock on the door jolted Dib out of his alien-filled thoughts.

"Uh…come in…?" Dib called.

His father swung his bedroom door open.

"I figured I would find you in here, son." He greeted. "I was just about to make some super toast!" He pointed to the ceiling. "Would you be interested in having some?"

"Uh…sure, dad…" Dib ran a hand through his hair, tousling the deep black locks.

Membrane nodded and started to leave.

"Hey, dad?" Dib asked softly.

"Yes?" Membrane turned to his son. "What is it?"

"Could I…ask you something…?"

"Sure." Membrane shrugged. "What?"

"Would it bother you if I was…?" Dib paused. "You know…different…?"

"Different?"

"Well…" Dib paused. "I mean…like Gaz's…friends…are."

Membrane looked clueless.

"Please don't make me say it."

"You mean her GLASS friends?" Membrane asked. "Gay?"

Dib flushed.

"I figured that was what you meant." Membrane sighed. "Look, son, whatever gender you are into…it's your business, and not mine. I wouldn't mind knowing if you were or not, but I'm not going to pass any judgment on you over it."

"You wouldn't?"

"Of course not." Membrane shook his head. "You're my son. As long as you're happy, I could care less."

"Thanks, dad." Dib said, knowing his flush was deepening as he smiled.

"Anytime, son." There was a moment of awkward silence. "Are you?"

"Gay?"

Membrane nodded.

Dib took a deep breath. "Yeah."

"Okay, then." Membrane stood. "Would you still like some super toast?"

"Sure."


	26. Yawn: School

Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! Time for another chapter of Iz Moth! It's been another longer break between chapters. Life, the biggest bitch of all, has gotten in the way…again…that and I got a bit lazy this week…

Nbld: No one wants to hear your excuses! (Smacks Dlbn)

Dlbn: Ow. This chapter seems a bit shorter than others, but it probably isn't… (Checks page count) Okay, it's a page shorter than average…

Nbld: Shut up, you! Time for the Review Corner! Thank you to Xenatig, morgana starfire, ecrounox, suckishLEMONADE, Invader Ang, ArchAngelCrystal, IHeartLink X3, Invader Zhyr, Uakna Uchiha, Mio-chan's Return, Silver Night Stalker, and joy2theworlddanyphantom for reviewing! SUPER TOAST for you all!

Dlbn: Question and Answer Time!

Everyone who commented about Membrane's attitude: I get sick of always seeing it where Membrane goes all nuts and kicks Dib out or whatever for it. I wanted him to be more accepting. Besides, it helps with further plot…

Ecrounox: Sorry for keeping you from your sleep! ;)

Invader Ang: Zim might bring it up later, if I remember it…lol

IHeartLink X3: The ZADR cometh! …Soon…

Invader Zhyr: I gladly accept any and all criticism. Feel free! :D No, you didn't come off badly. Don't worry about it. Zim mostly takes food and little bites to at least seem a bit human. The others might get suspicious if he didn't, no?

Uaka Uchiha: Keef's character in this is actually inspired by a friend of mine, Derek. He's the real life Keef. :D He wrote in my yearbook that he's sorry for 'scarring' me for life in lunch.

Mio-chan's Return: I hear about that rehab stuff all the time. Dumbest thing I ever heard of.

Silver Night Stalker: Super toast! (Throws super toast)

Joy2theworlddannyphantom: Membrane loves Super Toast…a little TOO much…. O.o

Disclaimer: I own nothing outside of Krill and The Mask. Keef's personality is Derek's and…that's about it…everything else belongs to Jhonen C. Vasquez

000

Zim stretched out on his couch. The reunion hadn't been as bad as he thought it would have been, but Keef had been a bit too clingy. What else was new, really? Zim checked the clock. It was only seven at night, so he had a few hours before he needed to go to bed. There had to be something around the house that he could do. But what…? Zim looked down at the coffee table. The slightly charred remains of the "SIR" he'd been making were waiting for him. Some of the metal was charred black, but most of it was still shiny. All Zim needed was to clean the robot up and put in some more wires. He sat up and pulled the table to him. Zim opened the robot's head and looked through the wires.

"Red to red, blue to blue, green to yellow…" Zim paused at that. No wonder it hadn't worked. Zim shook his head and plucked a pair of pliers off of the table. He removed the incorrect wire and reset it in the right spot. He turned the robot on via the switch on the back of his head. The eyes came to life, glowing blue. He hadn't been able to find any red LED lights at the store, but blue was fine. It was a very bright hue, so the color was visible in the dark, should it need to be. Zim smiled at the eyes and screwed the top of the head back on. The little antenna he knew a SIR unit had was missing, but he could work on that another time. He shut the head off before pulling over scraps to make the chest cavity. It was about four in the morning before Zim finished the wiring that made the left arm move. He sat back and rubbed his eyes with his closed fists. When he glanced at the TV clock, the red lights blared back at him. He sighed and pushed the table away. He gathered up the finished parts of the robot and put them in the closet, along with the scraps and other tools. He put a sheet over the parts, locked the closet, and turned off the lights, before retreating to his room.

000

Monday morning, Dib sat on the bottom step of the school. His friends weren't there yet, but his sister was already off with her GLASS club. Dib watched as Zim strolled in slowly through the gates, yawning widely and stretching his back. He joined Gaz and the others.

"Hey." Dib heard a voice. He looked up to see Torque leaning over a railing on the side of the steps.

"Hey." Dib returned the greeting with a nod. "What's up?"

"It's too early to be here." Torque slumped over the railing, laying his head on it.

"Yeah, I know." Dib chuckled. "I hate it too."

"I wish we could come in later. But no-o-o-o. Our schedules have to be full until 5th period." Torque complained. "Ugh."

"Early dismissal would be cool, too."

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, it would."

"What would what?" Rob asked, sitting next to Dib on the steps.

"Early dismissal." Dib answered. "It would be cool."

"Oh." Rob smirked. "We have early dismissal."

"Uh…no we don't." Torque looked baffled.

"It's called skipping." Rob rolled his eyes. "We should just skip ninth period one of these days. Leave after 8th."

"My dad would kill me if we got caught." Torque said. "And I'd be kicked off the team…"

"What did you do now?" Brian asked, bonking torque on the head.

"We were talking about skipping ninth period one day." Rob said.

Brian cocked a smirk. "We should get a bunch of people to do it."

"No way." Dib shook his head. "The larger the group, the more likely it is that we get caught. Too risky."

"Where's your sense of adventure?" Rob asked, rolling his eyes.

"Hiding." Dib said.

Torque rolled his eyes. They seemed to be doing that a lot. "Not funny, man."

"Seriously, though." Brian said. "We could easily convince half of GLASS to skip, too. I mean, you can talk Gaz into it and she can get the others in on it too." He looked at Dib. "Right?"

"If I try to talk my sister into anything, she'll have my head on a platter." Dib informed.

The others, taking it as a joke, laughed. "Whatever you say." Brian chuckled.

"Are you boys up to no good again?" Zita asked, as she and Sarah walked over.

"What gives you that idea?" Torque put on his 'innocent' face.

To Dib, Torque's 'innocent' face clearly said 'I am up to no good. Beware of me'.

"We could hear you laughing from the gates." Sarah pointed with her thumb. "Hey, Dib, you wanna go out again on Saturday?"

"Saturday?" Dib asked. "Uh…I guess. Sure. I'd have to be back by six though."

"Family night?" Zita asked.

It seemed ridiculous, but Dib's family had one night a year where they could go out to eat together and not be bothered by the Professor's fans or assistants. It was Gaz's turn to pick this year, and she'd no doubt pick Bloaty's Pizza Hog.

"No." Dib shook his head. "I'm meeting someone."

"Who?" Sarah's smile fell.

"Oh, just my gay cousin." Dib lied, thinking of Iz. "He wanted to hang out Saturday night because his parents are going to be out of town."

"Cool." Sarah smiled.

Dib sighed. Why did he feel the need to lie to his friends? His dad was okay with him being gay, so why wouldn't his friends, who he'd known since first grade or so, accept it too? Probably because they liked to pick on him about Keef thinking he was gay. Did that mean they'd pick on Dib for being gay, too? He'd have to let them know at some point. He couldn't keep Iz a secret forever…could he?

000

Zim twirled his fork through the grayish green mass that the school had deemed was okay to serve as a lunch. Human food was disgusting in and of itself, but this thing was worse. It smelled funny and Zim swore it had hissed at him when he first touched it with a fork. The others seemed to actually tolerate putting the gruel in their systems, but Zim found it unhealthy, in more ways then one. Keef cocked his head at Zim.

"Something wrong, Zim?" He asked.

"This stuff is disgusting." Zim said, motioning his head towards the food.

As soon as the words left his mouth, a part of the gruel formed a tentacle-like appendage and swatted it at him. Zim jumped out of his seat as the food hissed at him.

"Never dis the school food." Gretchen giggled, trying to ignore the looks the table was getting.

"Nice work." Gaz muttered, pressing the buttons on her Gameslave rapidly.

"So how was the reunion?" Gretchen looked at Keef.

"It was okay." He shrugged. "I was sick for most of it though."

"And I ran away from rain." Zim added, sitting down carefully.

The food hissed at him again, so he stabbed it with his fork. It yipped in pain and slithered off the plate and down to the floor. Zim watched the mass crawl out of the double doors to the cafeteria.

"What the hell is in that?" He asked.

"Best not to know." Morla said. "So why did you run away from rain?"

"Sometimes the pollutants in it bother my skin." Zim said. "It was a knee-jerk reaction."

"You got the jerk part right." Gaz said.

The others giggled.

"Not nice, Gaz." Keef scolded. He clapped his hands once. "Okay, so who wants to go out clubbing Saturday night? I can find some real cool gay bars!"

"I'm in!" Gretchen grinned, showing off her braces.

"Me too." Melvin said, giving her a high-five.

"Morla? Dirge?"

"I might be busy." Morla said. "I'll check."

"I guess." Dirge shrugged. "Maybe I'll find someone interested in my web fish toes."

"I've told you before." Gaz snarled, looking up at him. "You _have_ to stop doing that! No one cares!"

"Yeah, Dirge, keep it to yourself." Keef giggled. "So what about you, Gaz?"

"I have better things to do then go ogle _gay_ men." Gaz rolled her eyes. "I'll be staying home."

"Zim?" Keef looked hopeful.

"Sorry." Zim shook his head. "I'm hanging out with my brothers. They're gonna come into town to check up on me."

"Can we meet them?"

"Uh…" How was he going to pull this off? "They kind of like their privacy. The fact that they're coming here is a miracle in and of itself. They aren't staying long, anyway."

"Oh." Keef sighed. "Are they really coming? Or is that just an excuse?"

"It's both."

Gretchen giggled to herself.

"So you're a 'no'." Keef sighed. "You never want to do anything with the group!" He complained, leaning over the table at Zim. "Are you hiding something?"

"Nothing at all." Zim looked right into Keef's bright green eyes. "I promise."

"You sure?"

"You're too close."

Gaz yanked Keef back by the belt. He made a squeak noise as he fell back into the chair. "You didn't have to do that." He told her.

"That's why I did it."


	27. Membrane's Proposition

Dlbn: Hey there everyone and happy Halloween! (Yes, we can say that, since its 1 am on October 31st here) It's time for another update of Iz Moth!

Nbld: And although she won't ever see it, we'd like to wish a happy birthday to our friend Kendra! (Yes, her birthday is Halloween, legit.) And now that that's out of the way, it's time for the Review Corner! Thank you to Darkdagers, Invader Ang, Invader Ang –in stealth mode, Silver Night Stalker, suckishLEMONADE, ArcAngelCrystal, joy2theworlddannyphantom, Mio-chan's Return, and IHeartLink X3 who couldn't log in, for reviewing! Halloween candy for all!

Dlbn: Question and Answer time! Because everyone just loves hearing even more from us. ;)

Invader Ang –in stealth mode: That's weird that it got cut off like that. Hm…

Silver Night Stalker: No hay problema! Any language is fine! I only really speak English goodly, but I know Spanish…some Japanese…a bit of Italian…but we're not gonna go there right now ;)

ArcAngelCyrstal: Agreed.

Joy2theworlddannyphantom: Zim has it for Dib. And in the good way, if ya catch my drift ;)

Mio-chan's Return: It's easier said then done, but people should mean what they say and say what they mean. Especially when it's something so important.

Disclaimer: I own nothing outside of Krill and The Mask. Everything else is borrowed from Jhonen C Vasquez.

000

After school let out, Dib slowly trudged down the hallway, not watching where he was going. He hit something solid. "Oh, sorry!" He apologized.

"It's fine." The person he hit responded.

Dib looked up, startled, and readjusted his glasses. "Oh, hi, Zim." He flushed. "I didn't mean to do that."

"It's okay." Zim chuckled with a smile. "In a rush to get out of here?"

"Yeah, a little bit." Dib laughed. "What about you? In a rush to go home?"

"Not really." Zim shrugged. "No one home to go to."

"Sorry. I forgot you live alone." Dib flushed. "What's it like? Being on your own all the time?"

"It's…" Zim paused. How could he best describe it? "It's quiet, for one thing. A bit boring, though. I only get contact with people when I'm here…or around town…"

"That must suck."

"Only…a lot." Zim laughed.

Dib smiled softly. "If it's any consolation, it's normally just me and Gaz at home."

"I thought you lived with your dad?"

"We do, but he's always working."

"Oh, okay." Zim nodded. "I understand. That sucks too."

"Yeah, I know." Dib smiled softly.

"Well, I should let you go, since you're in a hurry and all. The others left, so I think Gaz went home too."

"Oh, yeah, I shouldn't let her go alone. Dad gets mad if I do and he finds out, so…"

"I'd run then."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow?"

"Yup." Zim nodded.

Dib started to walk past him, but he stopped. "Hey, uh…"

"Yeah?"

"If you ever get bored and wanna…I don't know, stop by or something…"

"Oh…uh…" Zim flushed. "Thanks, uh…but I don't know…"

"Where I live? Yeah, uh…" Dib pulled a pen from his pocket and walked back to Zim. He took the other boy's hand and wrote an address on it. "It's not far uh…but here."

"Thanks."

Dib held Zim's hand for a couple minutes longer before Zim slowly pulled it back. "Any time."

They started to go their separate ways, but Dib stopped again. "Hey, Zim?"

"Yeah?"

"You wanna just come over now?" Dib asked. "I mean, you can learn how to get there if you go with me."

"Oh…sure…thanks." Zim joined Dib's side and they left together.

000

Zim followed Dib inside the two story house that he assumed was his home. It was only about ten minutes from the school.

"So…this is it." Dib said, moving his arms from his sides in a, 'here you go' gesture. "Welcome to casa Membrane."

"Thanks." Zim laughed, though he had no idea what in the world a 'casa' was. House, maybe? It made sense.

Gaz walked in from the kitchen, playing her game as usual. "Who in the world are you talking to?" She asked.

"Him." Dib pointed to Zim with his thumb.

Gaz looked up and then back to her game. She quickly looked back up as her thumb hit another button.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"He invited me." Zim said with a small smile.

Gaz raised an eyebrow at Dib. "Oh?"

Dib shrugged and flushed.

"I'll leave you two to yourselves then." Gaz went up the stairs.

"Uh…so…what do you wanna do?"

"Anything's fine with me." Zim responded softly.

"Uh…we can go up to my room?"

"Sure."

Before they could go anywhere, the front door opened. Dib and Zim both turned. A tall man with black hair and a lab coat walked in. His eyes were obscured by goggles and his mouth was hidden by the collar of the lab coat.

"Hey, dad." Dib said slowly. "Uh…I have a friend over."

"Oh, hello there, Torque." Dib's father said, obviously not paying much attention.

"I'm not Torque." Zim responded.

"Oh, sorry there Brian."

"Not Brian either." Zim giggled against the back of his hand.

"My bad, Rob."

"Wrong again."

Dib was trying not to laugh, but he was failing at that. "Dad, this is Zim." He said. "The new kid."

Dib's father finally looked at Zim good enough to realize that he wasn't anyone he knew.

"Sorry about that, son." He said. "I'm Professor Membrane. Dib and Gaz's father." Membrane walked over and offered his hand to Zim

Zim blinked. "Pleased to meet you, sir." He said with a smile. "I'm Zim, but uh…I guess you already knew that." He shook his hand, assuming that was what the human had wanted. Irkens didn't do that sort of thing. They bowed or saluted, depending on who it was. The Professor chuckled. "You have a sense of humor, I see." He said. "Will you be staying for dinner?"

"Oh, I don't want to intrude." Zim said. "I'm just visiting." Not like he could actually eat the food anyway, whatever it was they were planning on having.

"Oh, nonsense. It's no trouble at all! Perhaps we could share some Super Toast!"

Dib slapped himself on the forehead. "Sorry, Zim." He said. "That's one of my dad's inventions."

"It's okay." Zim laughed a bit. "It's hard not to get excited over something you made, especially if it's successful."

"You got that right, Zim." The Professor nodded. "Now, I insist that you stay for dinner."

"I can't."

"Come on, Zim." Dib grabbed his wrist. "I know you're in no rush to go home."

"No, but…" Zim paused. "I don't wanna be a bother…"

"It's no bother if you're invited." The Professor said. "Why are you not in a hurry to get home?"

"I…uh…" Zim didn't know whether to tell the man or not, but he didn't want to lie either. "I live alone."

"Alone? But you're only in high school."

"It's a long story, sir."

"Well why don't you go get some of your stuff and stay here for a few days?" The Professor offered. "It's really not safe for someone your age to live alone."

"Oh, no, no, I couldn't!" Zim put his hands up and shook his head quickly. "Thank you, but I'm fine!"

"I insist."

"I have to decline." Zim said. "I don't mean to argue, but…"

"Nonsense, its nothing."

"Dad, if he says no, then he means no." Dib rolled his eyes. "Don't push it."

"Alright, alright." The Professor sighed. "But if you ever change your mind, Zim…"

"Thank you."

The Professor pressed something on the side of his goggles. "Yes?" He asked. He left into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry. Dad's very pushy, the few times he comes home."

"You should meet my brothers." Zim laughed.

"Maybe I can one day?"

"Maybe." Zim nodded.

Dib smiled at him and leaned a bit closer. "And just when might that be?"

"I don't know." Zim shrugged. "One of these days."

Dib winked. "Let's go up to my room. My computer's in there."

"Oh…sure…"

Dib grabbed Zim by the hand and led him upstairs. Zim couldn't help but notice how their fingers intertwined.


	28. Relationships and Secrets

Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! Time for another chapter of Iz Moth! Things are reaching the climax here, but there's still a ways to go.

Nbld: Don't give away too much, idiot! Anyway, it's time for the Review Corner! Thanks to Darkdagers, yaoifangirlforever1716, Invader Ang, Ukana Uchiha, IHeartLink X3, morgana starfire, ArcAngelCrystal, suckishLEMONADE, SonnyWithAFirefly (Sorry, fanfic won't let me put it in the same format as your penname for some reason), Invader Zhyr, Silver Night Stalker, LukeyBear13 for reviewing! Plushie Iz and Plushie Moth for all!

Dlbn: We are happy to announce that Iz Moth now has 196 reviews, making it our most popular fic on the site! Thank you to everyone who has ever reviewed for sticking with us this far! (Passes out cake to everyone)

Nbld: And now, it's Question and Answer Time! Cause we noticed that some things are not clear.

Yaoifangirlforever1716: I've never seen the Matrix…I feel like kind of a dork for saying that, but oh well :3 Dib and Zim have no idea about the whole club life thing. "Iz" and "Moth" are still like codenames.

Invader Ang: Yay for crushing Dib and Zim's faces together! Woot!

Silver Night Stalker: Membrane is a little off, yes. I'm gonna redo some stuff with him in it actually. I miss the random screams of "REAL SCIENCE!" And "English goodly" is a bad inside joke. My friend found it on Facebook flair and she gave it to a friend of ours, who is really big on grammar. His reaction was kind of funny. He won't let up. ^^

Disclaimer: I own nothing outside of Krill and the Mask. Everything else relating to Invader Zim, including (but not limited to) Zim and Dib, Membrane, Gaz, the Irken race, Skool, and Keef, belong to Jhonen C Vasquez.

000

Up in his room, Dib flopped down on his bed. Zim sat next to him, leaning his back against the wall.

"So…uh…music?" Dib asked, picking up a small remote from his nightstand.

"Sure." Zim shrugged.

Dib pressed a button on the remote and his laptop lit up. Music started playing from the speakers. It was in Japanese, so he skipped to the next song, doubting that Zim liked it. "Anything in particular?"

"Not really." Zim shook his head. "So…uh…what do you wanna do?"

"I don't know." Dib shrugged and sat up. He moved over to sit next to Zim. "What'd you think of math today?"

"Math class?" Zim asked. "I think I fell asleep, as usual. No offense to Mr. C, but…math just bores the crap out of me."

"Yeah, really." Dib laughed. "I might have slept, too."

Zim chuckled. "So…you just wanted to talk about math?" He asked.

"Well, no…" Dib paused. "How are you adjusting to the school?"

"Not bad, I guess. I mean, I have friends, so I'm not miserable…"

Dib nodded. "Well, that's good."

"You always went to his school?" Zim didn't seem to know what to say.

"Yeah." Dib nodded again. "Since kindergarten."

"Cool."

The song on the computer changed to an upbeat love song. Dib blushed. He hadn't meant for anyone to ever hear that. Looks like the wrong playlist was set.

"Wow…I uh…" Zim paused. "Never would have thought you listened to this kind of stuff."

"Yeah…I-I know." Dib's blush deepened.

"Cool."

"It is?"

"Yeah." Zim nodded. "I mean…you don't really come across as the sensitive type, you know? But yet you are. Cool."

Dib smiled. "Thanks." He said. "I got a couple more songs. I usually don't have this playlist going when people are here."

"Why not? Why hide what kind of music you like?"

"Well…I'm straight…and…" Dib paused. There was no harm in telling just Zim…right? "I…I kind of…wanna tell you…something…but I don't know…how you'll respond…"

"I won't pass judgment about anything." Zim shrugged. "So you don't have to worry about that. And what does it matter what I think, anyway?"

"I guess you have a point." Dib said, shifting a bit closer to Zim. He couldn't help but notice that the other boy had gotten closer as well. "Well…it's…I'm not like everyone thinks."

"No?"

"Well…I'm…"

Dib felt Zim's hand on his shoulder. He looked up into the boy's smiling face. "Yeah?"

"Gay." Dib said, feeling a flood of relief come over him at the word. It was so right, when he thought about it.

"Cool." Zim said. "You were worried how I'd respond to that? I mean…I'm _in_ GLASS, you know."

"Yeah, but…" Dib sighed. "So what do you think?"

"I think it's pretty cool that you decided to come out to me." Zim said. "If I'm the first one you told, that is."

"Gaz is, actually, and then dad. But you're the first outside of the family." Dib hugged his knees to his chest. "I wanna tell the others, but I'm a bit afraid to."

"They're your friends. And if you are as close as it seems to me, then they won't care. I know they believe Keef sometimes. Torque mentioned it."

"He would." Dib paused. "Don't tell Keef, okay? Cause if he knows, the whole Skool will know."

Zim chuckled. "Yeah, you have a point." He agreed. "I wouldn't tell anyway. It's your decision. It took me a while to feel comfortable enough to come out to my brothers, and…"

"You're gay?" Dib asked. "I mean, I never would have figured."

Zim shrugged. "You never know." He said. "But…yeah, I am." Zim sighed. "It's not that I'm ashamed or anything, I just…I mean…"

"People are very close minded around here? Yeah, I know."

"Yeah."

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"So…you have a boyfriend back home?" Dib asked.

"No." Zim shook his head. "Well… I did…he had to go back to his military base. We'd only known each other for a couple days. But I went and got myself in trouble for him…"

"Hm?"

"I left the house when I was grounded, because my dad said it was okay. He hadn't talked to mom about it, so I didn't really have permission."

"Why does it matter if he told your mom or not?"

"Mom's the one that grounded me."

"Oh."

Zim shrugged. "I guess it's safe for me to assume you don't have a boyfriend, either?"

Dib shook his head. "There _is_ someone I like, though…"

"Does he like you, too?"

"I think so. We hang together every weekend." Dib said, feeling his heart swell at the thought of Iz. Were his feelings for the boy, whose true identity was unknown, really that strong?

"Oh."

"Why?"

"Oh, just curiosity." Zim flushed.

Dib noticed that they were touching shoulders. They had unconsciously moved closer to one another while talking. "I thought maybe you liked me or something." Dib laughed.

"A bit."

"Huh?"

Zim smiled softly. "Don't make me repeat it please."

Dib raised an eyebrow. "I…"

They both moved closer, lips hovering inches from one another's. Dib made a decision and closed his eyes before leaning forward to capture Zim's lips in his own. The spark that shot through his body was intense, almost as sharp as the one Dib felt when he and Iz first kissed. Dib opened one eye a bit to see if Zim's eyes were closed or not. To his relief, they were. Zim's lips moved against his own and Dib felt like he was in pure bliss. They separated for air, only a little ways from one another. Dib's lips were slightly parted and he quickly closed them.

"Wow." He said.

"I…" Zim trailed.

Dib smirked and kissed him again.

000

Zim lay down sideways on his own couch later that night. He and Dib had sat on the bed, talking and making out a bit more, for a couple hours before Zim left. He hadn't wanted the Membranes to realize that he couldn't eat human food, so he had left before the Professor had forced him to stay for dinner. It seemed like something the man would do. Zim sighed and crossed his legs over one another. How could he still like Dib? He liked Moth…right? Zim moaned and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands.

"It's so not fair!" He groaned. "I like two humans at once, I still have feelings for Krill…ugh!" he cried out again in frustration. It wasn't like he could talk to anyone about it. He had no way of contacting home, and if he talked to Keef, he might break his promise and mention Dib's name. Maybe he should talk to Moth? No! How could he even _consider_ that? Moth might be hurt if he found out that Zim had made out with another guy! Then again, were he and Moth even together? Zim sighed. He couldn't think. The quiet was bugging him. Maybe he'd go to The Mask again. Zim went into his bedroom and grabbed his mask, amplifier, and pepper spray. He adjusted the mask over his large eyes and tied it behind his head. Pushing the amplifier against his neck so it would stick, he pocketed the pepper spray and left the house.

000

The Mask was a bit crowded for a Monday. Apparently, people liked to chase away their Monday blues in beer, music, and laughter. Zim didn't mind the noise. It was actually more beneficial to him than silence was. He could think better with noise. Zim took another swig of his drink. Maybe Moth would show up. Zim had to get his feelings cleared up with him, anyway. Sure, he wanted to be with Moth, but he couldn't just avoid Dib. Zim felt a hand on his shoulder and turned. Moth was standing behind him, wearing his dark blue mask.

"Hey." He greeted, kissing Zim. "What are you doing here on a Monday?"

"Oh, just hanging out." Zim smiled. "I got bored at home…and a bit restless."

"Restless?" Moth asked.

Zim nodded. "I had some thinking to do. For some reason, I can't think well without noise."

"Well, you came to the right place for that." Moth said.

Zim laughed.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Well…" Zim paused. "I'm kind of falling for someone from Skool, but…I mean…us…"

"Yeah." Moth's smile faded a little bit. "I know what you mean." He said.

"So…where do we go from here?"

"Well…" Moth paused. "Have you ever heard of the term, 'club boyfriend'?"

Zim shook his head. "No. What's that?"

"It's kind of like what we are." Moth said. "It's when you hang out with one person in the club scene. It's what happens when you fall for someone in a club, but you don't hang together in the real world."

"Real world?"

"The world outside The Mask. The world we're born in."

"Ah, okay." Zim paused. "So are we…club boyfriends, then?"

"Would that be okay with you?" Moth asked. "I mean, I'd like to give us a shot."

"That sounds great to me." Zim smiled.


	29. Confessions of A Teenage Dib 2

Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! Time for another chapter of Iz Moth! I meant to update on Thursday, but I went to one of the local theatres and met Buddy Valastro from Cake Boss! Then I was going to update on Friday, but I was too tired…but no more excuses. Time for the chapter that may or may not get me killed (Shields self with Keef)

Nbld: Stop being so dramatic, you idiot. (Rolls eyes) Review corner! Thank you to Darkdagers, Ukana Uchiha, Invader Ang, yaoifangirlforever1716, ArcAngelCrystal, IHeartLink X3, suckishLEMONADE, morgana starfire, ecrounox, Silver Night Stalker, SonnyWithAFirefly, and XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX for reviewing! (Passes out Iz Moth yaoi Fanart)

Dlbn: We have reached and went over 200 reviews to date! Thank you to everyone for all your support! (Passes out more cake) Now it's time for the Question and Answer segment!

Darkdagers: Yes, yes they are. :3

Invader Ang: That must hurt to have your face explode… (Gir pops up) Finally! (Laughs insanely, then blows up)

ArcAngelCrystal: Cake is your friend. Lol

Silver Night Stalker: Thanks for pointing that out. "Eyes and tied it behind his hand." Epic fail on my part! That was an awesome picture. If I had a Deviant Art account, I would so attack the like button. :D

XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX: I could so see Gir saying that…Zim will make him eventually. He's just…not very good with robots for some reason. (Looks over to see Gir explode on Zim again) Sigh.

Disclaimer: I own nothing outside of Krill, The Mask, and the plot. Invader Zim and all related characters, titles, themes, places, species, etc, etc belong to Jhonen C Vasquez. I only do this for entertainment value and not money.

000

Dib arrived at school the next day to see his friends sitting on the steps as usual. He walked over with a slight flick of his wrist. Rob scooted over a bit to make room for Dib to sit on the bottom step.

"What's up?" Torque asked. "I heard you invited Zim to your place."

"Who told you?" Dib responded.

"Keef." Rob said. "He's still trying to convince us that you're gay, I guess."

"Ah." Dib nodded once.

"So did you invite him over? Or is Keef just being dumb?" Sarah wondered.

"I invited him." Dib shrugged one shoulder. "I mean, I figured it must get lonely at his place, seeing as he lives alone. You know?"  
"So you asked him to hang out?" Brian wondered. "How sweet of you."

Dib rolled his eyes, noting his friend's sarcasm. "Thanks, Brian. I knew you'd like it."

"So what did you guys do?" Zita asked.

"Just hung out in my room and talked. Played some computer games. Nothing much."

"Talked?"

"He was telling me about his hometown and stuff. It's not that big of a deal."

"It must be if he made it a point to tell Keef." Torque pointed out.

"They're close." Dib shrugged again. "They probably share a lot of information between them. The whole group probably does."

"I don't think that's it, man." Brian shook his head.

Dib looked over to where Zim and the others were sitting. Zim shyly wiggled his fingers at Dib, receiving a smile in return.

"Looks like you might have another leech." Zita muttered.

"He's not that bad." Dib said. "Nothing like Keef."

"For now." Brian said. "He's gonna become like him once he gets more used to the school."

"I doubt that." Dib sneered.

The others shared a look. Torque started to say something, but the bell cut him off.

"We'll have to worry about it later." Rob said. "Let's go to homeroom. Wanna wait for your little friend, Dib?"

"Shut up." Dib stood and went inside, the others following slowly behind.

000

Zim dug through his locker for his math textbook. He'd forgotten it when he was at his locker before homeroom, so he figured he'd get it before class. It was close by, anyway. He felt a finger tap his shoulder and looked over it.

"Oh, hey, Dib." Zim greeted with a smile. He turned and shut his locker. Leaning on it, he spoke again. "What's up?"

"Why'd you tell Keef about yesterday?" Dib asked.

"Oh…" Zim paused. "I-I didn't know it was a secret."

"It's not." Dib shook his head in denial. "But I didn't think you'd tell him. He made it seem like a big deal to my friends. Like we were going out or something."

Zim flushed. "Well, I know we aren't." He said. "And you know it too. So why care what others think?"

"I don't, I just…" Dib paused. "You didn't tell him we…" Dib looked around to make sure no one was close enough to hear him if he whispered. "…kissed…did you?"

"No, of course not." Zim shook his head. "You were right. If I told him, the whole Skool would know. And if you're not ready to come out, then I don't wanna be the one that breaks the news."

"I figured you wouldn't say anything. Thank you, by the way."

"You're welcome." Zim looked at the clock on the wall. "We should get going to class."

"Yeah, I know." Dib said. He waited for Zim to walk before joining his side. He clutched at his backpack strap with one hand. "You wanna hang out again?"

"Tonight?" Zim asked. "Sure. You know I have no life." He laughed.

"Neither do I." Dib shook his head.

"Sure you do. You have friends."

"You do too."

Zim flushed. "Touché."

Dib laughed. "So…uh…about that kiss…uh…"

"That was no kiss." Zim said. "It was more of a make-out session, I'd say."

Dib flushed at Zim's words. "Yeah, I guess you have a point." He paused. "Sorry."

"For?"

"That make-out session."

"Don't apologize." A smirk played on Zim's lips. "I already told you I like you."

"I know you did." Dib said. "But I don't meant to lead you on or anything. I mean, I do have a sort of boyfriend."

"I know."

They were both silent for a minute. "So do you miss your friend from home?" Dib asked.

"Krill?" Zim wondered. "Yeah."

"Krill?"

"Strange name, I know. I guess his parents were having cravings for seafood when they named him."

Dib laughed. "I hope you never told him that."

"No way." Zim laughed. "He'd probably hate me if I did."

The bell rang before they reached their classroom door.

"Crap." Dib said. "What do you wanna do?"

"What do you mean?"

"We could either go in late or skip. What do you wanna do?"

"If we skip, your friends will think Keef's right about us. If we go in together, they'll think the same thing." Zim said. "We lose either way."

"Unless one of us goes in first."

"Or one of us skips."

"I've never skipped a class before."

"Me neither."

Then again, he'd never been to school before now.

"Wanna try it?"

"Fine by me." Zim nodded.

They both turned and walked the other way.

"So where do we go?"

"We could hide out in the bathroom." Dib said. "That's what people did in middle school, anyway."

"If you say so." Zim shrugged.

"Or we could go to the lounge. You haven't been there before, have you?"

Zim shook his head. Dib grasped his hand. "Let's go then."

Zim followed in the direction Dib was dragging him, not once trying to pull his hand free.

000

At lunch that day, Zim leaned his head in his hand, elbow on the table. The inedible gruel the Skool was serving that day wasn't much different from any other day. This time, though, it was distinguishable as catsup and rice. Keef was staring at him, unblinking, with a huge grin on his face.

"What?" Zim asked.

"You and Dib skipped math today." Keef said.

"He skipped too?" Zim wondered. "I wouldn't know."

"Don't lie." Gaz ordered. "You two passed my classroom."

Zim groaned. "Thanks a ton, Gaz."

"Something _did_ happen when you were there yesterday, didn't it?" Keef leaned forward. "Details please!"

"Nothing happened." Zim shook his head. "We just talked and played computer games the whole time."

"Sure you did." Keef winked.

"I believe him." Gretchen said softly. "I know you wish it wasn't true, Keef, but Dib's not gay. I've seen the way he looks at Sarah."

Gaz rolled her eyes, but no one seemed to notice.

"I _still_ say it's a cover." Keef shook his head.

"Its not." Zim agreed with Gretchen.

"How do you know?"

"We were talking about it." Zim lied. "He wanted to know why you're so convinced that he's gay. I said I didn't know, but I asked him if he was. He said no. I believe him."

"Uh huh."

Gaz raised an eyebrow. "I can't believe you asked."

"I figured I could let Keef know if I asked."

"What if he told you to lie?" Keef playfully stuck his tongue out at the Irken.

Zim rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't listen." He argued. "I don't respond well to being told what to do."

"Yeah, that's obvious." Gaz rolled her eyes.

Zim glared at her.

"I still say he lied to you, too." Keef argued.

Zim groaned.

000

After Skool was out, Dib and his friends walked down the front steps. They were still pestering him about having Zim over the day before. Dib was trying to change the subject, but to no avail.

"Are you _sure_ you don't have a thing for him? Even a little?" Torque asked. "Just answer me and we'll shut up."

"We're friends." Dib said softly.

"That's dodging the question, still." Rob pointed out.

"We wouldn't care if you did." Zita assured him. "We'd just like to know."

"I'd like to know if I really have any chances with you or not." Sarah admitted. "So why can't you just answer us?"

"Do I have a crush on Zim?" Dib asked. "That's all you want to know."

"Yeah." Brian nodded. "That's what we've been saying."

Dib sighed. "Fine. I like him, okay?" He asked.

"So…are you gay? Or is it just Zim that you like?" Rob wondered.

"I thought you said you'd stop if I answered." Dib was really getting annoyed now.

"Last question."

"I don't believe you."

"We're your friends. You _should_ believe us." Torque said.

"Just like how you guys believe me every time I tell you I'm straight?" Dib sighed, agitated beyond belief now.

"We believe you." Brian said. "You're just acting like you're only saying it to make us shut up, is all."

"I'm telling you to get you to shut up, yeah, but I really am straight." Dib leaned on the railing.

"We believe you, then." Torque said. "Let's go do something."

"Like what?" Brian asked. He seemed to notice something. "Your boyfriend." He muttered to Dib, causing a few snickers to rise from the others.

Dib looked out of the corner of his eye to see Zim sitting on a picnic bench with his friends. He and Keef appeared to be arguing over something. "He's not my boyfriend." Dib sneered.

"Sure."

"Alright, you know what, I'm sick of this." Dib pushed himself off of the railing. "You want to know the truth? Yeah, I have a crush on Zim. And no, he's not the only guy I like."

"What are you saying, Dib?"

Dib wiped a hand over his face. "There's no way you can all be this dense."

"What?" Rob wondered. He scratched the side of his head. "I really don't get it."

"You wanted the truth, right?" Dib spoke softly.

"About your sexuality?" Torque wondered. "We already said we believe you about being straight."

Dib chuckled. "You guys are dense sometimes, you know that?" Dib paused. "I lied."

"Lied?" Sarah asked.

"What do you mean?" Brian wondered.

Dib couldn't take it anymore. He felt like he was going to explode. "I'M GAY!"


	30. What Happens Next?

Dlbn: Hey there everyone! Sorry about the late update. Had a killer paper to do for one of my classes. Damn thing was only three pages, but my teacher was real restrictive when it came to material we could use and…

Nbld: Shut up! No one cares!

Dlbn: Whatever! Anyway, we're up to chapter 30. This means that Iz Moth is one of my longest running fics. It's almost my most popular. Thank you to everyone who's ever read, reviewed, glimpsed, accidentally clicked on this, etc. Cake for all!

Nbld: While she passes out cake, I'll go to The Review Corner! Thank you to Darkdagers, morgana starfire, Ukana Uchiha, Invader Ang, IHeartLink X3, Mew2928, ArcAngelCrystal, Moth Mask, Silver Night Stalker, suckishLEMONADE, XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX, and joy2theworlddannyphantom for reviewing! Copies of Crop Circle Magazine and Mysterious Mysteries Magazines for everyone!

Dlbn: No more rambling, since we know you want to get to the actual fic, so here's the Question and Answer segment.

Invader Ang: Yes, Dib's friends are VERY stupid. Their personalities and denseness come from my friends. ;)

IHeartLink X3: That did rhyme. Sweet. (Family Guy giggle) I don't have a Deviant Art account, cause I can't draw for crap, so I don't have any yaoi pictures up…sadly…

Mew2928: Thanks for pointing those out. I miss them sometimes. (Goes back and checks chapter over. Fixes corrections) Done!

Silver Night Stalker: My friend and I had an argument about ZADR Mpreg today, actually. The whole never using a condom thing…yeah…I guess Irkens don't have sex-ed.

XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX: Miyuki is in fact the Tallest. Spork is a few inches shorter than him, so he's not Tallest with her. He's a Taller, which is like a step below a Tallest. That makes Zim, Red, and Purple Princes of the Irken Empire.

Disclaimer: I own nothing outside of the plot, The Mask, and Krill. Whatever happened to that boy anyway? Maybe he'll come back later. Who knows.

000

Zim's head quickly turned to the front steps. Everyone seemed to be staring at the cause of the outburst, namely Dib. Torque said something, but Zim couldn't hear it. Dib threw his arms in the air and ran down the steps.

"Wait, Dib!" Gaz called after her brother, standing.

"Dib!" Zim called at the same time, also standing up.

No one on the Skool grounds said anything as Dib bolted through the gate. Zim and Gaz shared a look before running after him.

"Wait, Gaz, Zim!" Keef stood and tried to stop them, but Morla held him back. "Let them go."

"Dib!" Zim continued to call after his friend. "Come back!"

"I'll go this way, you go that way." Gaz pointed one direction for herself and one for Zim.

"Alright. Meet up at your place." Zim said.

"Deal."

They parted ways. Zim sighed and looked around, making sure no one was watching. He activated the metal legs in his PAK and scurried up the side of the nearest building. Irkens had really good vision, so the added height would give him an advantage of Gaz, who was on the ground with weaker eyesight. Zim sighed and looked in the direction Gaz had told him to go. Traffic was buzzing past and he could hardly make out a single person. He reactivated his PAK legs and used them to walk backwards. He then ran forward and leaped to the next building. He repeated his actions a couple times before stopping to look for Dib again. He looked around and saw a boy in a black trench coat running in the direction of the park.

"Aha!" Zim proclaimed to himself.

He jumped over a few more buildings before coming to the park entrance. Using what little skills he had acquired in his brief military training, Zim landed on the fence. He wobbled back and forth for a few seconds before jumping and landing on his feet. Now where was Dib? Zim looked around and caught sight of Dib running down one of the hikers' paths in the park. Zim ran after him. After following the black haired male up to a hill and under a tree, Zim watched Dib climb up.

"Dib?" he asked. "Can I come up?"

"How did you find me?" Dib stood on a tree branch and peered down at Zim.

"We chased you." He said. "Gaz went the other way."

"Just you two?"

Zim nodded. "Yeah." He agreed. "So can I come up?"

"I guess." Dib sat on the branch he was on.

Zim grabbed the tree and pulled himself up, before standing and catching his bearings. He went up a few more branches until he was level with Dib. "Fancy meeting you here." He said with a small grin.

"Sorry, but I don't feel much like laughing." Dib sighed, running a hand through his hair. "God, I'm such an idiot?"

"Why do you say that?"

"I told my friends that I'm gay…in front of the whole Skool…at the top of my lungs…" Dib paused and sighed. "Damn."

"I think that was pretty brave of you to do, if it's any consolation."

"Thanks." Dib responded with a roll of his eyes. "But I still feel like an idiot. I mean, I wanted to tell my friends when we were alone, but…I don't know. My friends just irked me and…"

Zim chuckled under his breath at the work 'irked'. "Sorry." He said.

"It's okay." Dib smiled softly. "I couldn't take it anymore. They never believe me when I say I'm straight, which I guess they shouldn't…but they asked me to believe them…and I don't know. I just couldn't take it anymore. It's killing me, keeping this inside all the time…for so long."

Zim shifted his position on the branch so that he was a little closer to Dib. "I can't exactly say I know how you feel, because no one can truly know how someone else feels, even if they've been in their shoes…" Zim paused. "I hope that made sense…"

"Yeah, it did." Dib nodded.

"But I'm here if you…you know…"

"I know." Dib nodded a couple times. "Thanks."

Zim nodded. "Hm-hm."

"Look…I kind of want to apologize." Dib said. "I was an ass when we first met, and…"

"And I was a liar." Zim responded.

"Well, I wasn't going to say that, but yeah."

Zim smiled, and Dib smiled back.

"And…you're not such a bad guy once I got to know you." Dib paused. "So I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Zim laughed. "I'd hate me too, if I were you."

Dib's smile faded a bit. "I never hated you. I was just annoyed by you sometimes. You confuse me."

"I confuse you?"

"I just never know what you're thinking, the way I can tell with my friends sometimes, and even my sister. Maybe that's because we don't know each other well, but…it's just weird. I'm normally a people person and I grasp things pretty quickly. So why…?"

"I don't know." Zim shrugged. "You can't know everyone as well as you'd like, I guess." He said. "You know, you confuse me sometimes, too."

"I do?"

"Like you…" Zim paused. "One minute I think you're going to snap at me, the next I think you wanna kiss me."

"Maybe I do." Dib put his hand over Zim's. "Would that be okay?"

Zim nodded. Dib leaned forward and they kissed again. Zim felt guilty, again, about kissing a guy that wasn't Moth…but Moth had said it was alright…

000

Dib sighed and buried his face in his pillow. Sure, Gaz and his dad didn't care about his sexuality, and he was pretty sure Zim had as much of a crush on him as Dib had a crush on the brunet. But what about his friends? Dib looked at the clock. It was 5 in the evening. His friends would have called or come over if they wanted to talk to him. Maybe they were mad that he kept it from them…or maybe they didn't approve? Most likely, they didn't know how to respond and didn't want him freaking out on them again. That thought made him feel a bit better, but still. The anticipation of not knowing was eating away at him. He heard a knock on his door and muttered 'come in' into his pillow. The door clicked and slowly swung open. Dib felt the weight shift near his feet on the bed, and heard a chair rolling across the floor. There were two people there, that was for sure. Probably dad and Gaz, wondering if he was okay. No doubt the Skool had called the Professor about Dib's little outburst after classes. Dib groaned at that thought until he heard the door shut again and another chair dragging itself across the floor. How many people _were_ there in his room?

Dib turned his head to the side a bit so he could see. He was greeted with the sight of Brian leaning on the bed, smiling softly. Dib jumped.

"Morning, sleeping beauty." The navy haired boy greeted. "We wanna go out to the mall or something. You coming?"

"Huh?" Dib sat up and looked around the room.

Torque was sitting on the bed near his feet, Rob was in a chair that had obviously come from the kitchen downstairs, and Sarah and Zita were sharing a chair, each of them sitting on half of it.

"Why are you guys here?"

"We told you we wanted to go out." Zita informed softly. "You coming or no?"

"Uh…" Dib flushed. "Well…I thought…after today…you guys wouldn't…"

"We were a little shocked, honestly." Torque ran a hand over the top of his bald head. "I mean…damn, man. I've known you since we were kids and I never knew…why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"I was…" Dib paused. "Worried about how you'd react."

"How we'd react?" Rob repeated. "What did you think we'd do? Hate you? Come on, man. Have more faith in us." He pat Dib on the back.

Dib rolled his eyes. "You guys don't seem to like Keef much, and he's out."

"Keef's just clingy, that's the problem." Torque said. "With everyone. Remember what he was like in elementary Skool?"

"How could I forget?" Dib chuckled.

Keef had been convinced that he and Dib were best friends when they were in elementary, despite how many times Dib told him they were just classmates. Regular friends, at best, but not best. Keef hadn't given up. He'd gone missing for a while, and Dib found him in his bedroom, flipping through a UFO-zine. Dib's father had the boy arrested for breaking and entering and the courts had put him in a mental institution for a bit. He left towards the middle of seventh grade, less clingy. He was still loud and obnoxious, though. Some things never changed.

"So…it doesn't bother you?" Dib asked after a few minutes.

"Well, I can't say I'd wanna follow your footsteps…" Torque rubbed the back of his neck. "But you can be what you want to be. It's not our place."

Dib let out a heavy sigh and slumped against the wall.

"So, about Zim…" Sarah paused, waiting for Dib to explode again.

"Yeah?"

"Does he like you, too?"

"I guess." Dib shrugged. "I mean, we're closer now, but…" Dib thought about their kisses. He didn't want to tell his friends about that yet. Certain things had to be kept secret from them. Where was the fun in being completely exposed? "He does, but he's got someone from his hometown. It's a gay club thing, so you guys wouldn't understand."

"Would you?"

"Never been to one." Dib shook his head. "Not all gay people go to gay bars, you know."

Zita shrugged and Dib sighed again. He seemed to be doing that a little too often lately.

"You wanna go somewhere?" Rob asked.

"It's five. Don't you guys eat dinner around now?"

The others shook their heads.

"Okay, fine." Dib inched off the bed, the others preparing to leave with him. "Where to?"

"Mall." Sarah said. "I need to get a new top."

Dib nodded. "Okay."


	31. Stronger Bonds

Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! Me again with another late update! Damn college work is getting to me. Grr…We're also trying to adopt a puppy, but the agency keeps shooting us down and never saying anything like they said they would. Finally convinced my mom to let me try for the dog I wanted, but we're gonna wait until they say yes or no on the one we just put an application for. Anyway, once all that stuff if out of the way, I'll be updating a lot quicker between chapters. I'm gonna update once over Thanksgiving break, cuz it will be my last chance to update as a teenager. Wahoo!

Nbld: No one wants to hear your life story! (Hits Dlbn)

Dlbn: Ow! (Rubs head)

Nbld: Oh, get an ice-PAK. (Yes, pun intended) You'll be fine. While she nurses her head, I'll start the review corner! Thank you to Invader Ang, ArcAngelCrystal, Darkdagers, morgana starfire, TheAwesomeTrio'sAwesomeAmerica, XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX. Silver Night Stalker, IHeartLink X3, suckishLEMONADE, Moth Mask, sasodei-iz-awesome for reviewing! (Hand out ice-PAKS and some of Zim's illegal weaponry. Remember, it's only illegal if he gets caught)

Dlbn (Comes back with an ice-PAK on her head): That's a little better. Before I go and doom her like Gaz dooms Dib when he drinks the last soda, we'll do the review corner!

Invader Ang: Thanks for the congrats! More sexy Zim/Dib kissing is to come!

ArcAngelCrystal: Dib's got some really great friends, alright.

Darkdagers: Dib will find out eventually…either in this fic or a sequel if I do one…

TheAwesomeTrio'sAwesomeAmerica: How they find out that they are Iz and Moth is actually a bit of a surprise. A couple more chapters and they'll learn it. And yes, Keef is a big creeper. I like to think I took that part from some people I know…then again, that's a scary thought…

XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX: Exploding can be fun, indeed. (Gir pops in) FINALLY! (Explodes)

Silver Night Stalker: There probably won't be any Mpreg in this one. They use protection most of the time…key word 'most'. Maybe later on down the road, though. They'd make a cute baby/smeet. ^^

IHeartLink X3: OMG, that would be awesome if you did! Thank you! I'd do it myself, but I can't draw for crap. And my only friends around here that _can_ draw don't talk to me much anymore. Thanks a ton! (Zim and Dib do a dance)

Sasodei-iz-awesome: I always feel like it's been a while…maybe it's just been a long week… (Shrug) Glad to hear you're enjoying it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing outside of Krill and The Mask. Everything else is Jhonen Vasquez's.

000

The next day at Skool, Zim was happy to see that Dib was hanging with his friends on the stoop, as per usual. They didn't seem to care about his little outburst yesterday, so that was good. Zim had hoped they wouldn't care, so he was happy. He made his way to the table he shared with Keef and the others every morning.

"Hey, sunshine!" Keef greeted with a flirty wave. "What's going on? Why was Dib yelling at his friends for?"

"I think that's Dib's business, Keef, not ours." Zim responded.

"You chased after him yesterday." Keef informed. "I thought maybe you caught up with him."

"I did." Zim nodded. "He didn't want to talk about it."

Keef looked skeptical.

"Cut to the chase, Zim." Morla said. "We heard what Dib yelled. That he's like us…Keef…"

Keef giggled. "We don't want to pry, or come off too strong, but it's true." He said. "Why don't you invite him to one of our meetings? He likes you best." He looked directly at Zim.

"Well…" Zim paused.

"Just ask already." Gaz said. "It's about damn time he came out anyway."

"Wait a minute!" Keef gasped. "You _knew_? Why didn't you _say_ anything?"

"He asked me not to." Gaz shrugged, not looking up from her game. "Tell him I just told you that and I remove your limbs while you sleep and force feed them to you."

Keef's smile waned, but he didn't seem too fazed. "So ask him, Zim."

"I'm not gonna just go up to him and ask, Keef." Zim said. "Gotta be more subtle than that. I really doubt he wants to come to a meeting anyway."

"Wouldn't hurt to ask." Dirge argued.

"Later, okay?" Zim asked. "Our next meeting isn't until next week."

"Fine, fine." Keef rolled his eyes. "Take your time, Romeo."

"Huh?"

"Oh, don't act like it's not obvious." Keef giggled. "You and Dib totally have chemistry."

"Like Romeo and Juliet." Gretchen sighed happily.

"Sure." Zim had no idea what the girl was talking about.

"You _have_ read Romeo and Juliet, right?" Keef asked.

"Uh…"

"I take it that means no." Gaz chuckled.

Zim was saved from answering by the Skool bell. "Well, time for class." He laughed nervously. "I guess you'll find out if I read it later then." Zim walked backwards for a bit. "Uh…bye." He turned and sped towards the steps, not noticing that Dib was in front of him.

"Zim!" Dib called out.

Zim skidded to a stop and wobbled foreword, trying not to fall onto the human male. Dib grabbed him by the arm and steadied him.

"You have to watch where you're going, man." Dib laughed.

"Yeah, I probably should." Zim laughed as well. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Dib smiled, slowly letting go of Zim's arm.

"Come on, you two." Torque said. "You can't stand out here making googley-eyes at one another all day."

Dib glared at him. "We are not."

"Maybe." Zim responded.

Dib flushed. "Let's just go to homeroom."

Zim laughed and followed Dib and his friends, the other members of GLASS bringing up the rear.

000

Dib twirled his grey-mush with his fork. The Skool lunches really needed an overhaul. Maybe his dad could influence them into doing something about it.

"Hey, Torque?" Dib asked. "What was with the wise-crack about me and Zim? We weren't doing anything."

"Sorry, man, but you both had this little love-sick look in your eyes." Torque said. "Same look Keef gives you…except it's somehow creepier when he does it."

"I wonder why." Zita tapped a finger to her chin.

"He's not our friend." Jessica checked her hair in a mirror before snapping her compact shut.

"Oh, yeah." Zita nodded.

"He's a bit clingy, but I can tolerate him, I guess." Dib responded.

"Well, sure, in small doses." Brian laughed.

Dib rolled his eyes, but he was laughing. "My sister seems to put up with him well. So do Zim and the others."

"I wonder why." Rob said. "I mean, they're nothing like him."

"Well…some of them are." Sarah muttered.

"Not as clingy." Dib said. "If you mean they're gay, then so?"

"Just a statement, Dib." Sarah stood and slammed her hands on the table with the word 'statement'. She stomped off.

"What's wrong with her?" Dib asked.

"You know how much she liked you." Zita said. "She's just having issues dealing with the fact that she'll never be yours, is all."

"Oh…" Dib paused. "Should I go talk to her?"

"I wouldn't." Jessica offered.

"Stop it, Jess." Brian ordered.

"No, you stop it. All of you." Jessica got up and left as well.

"She didn't like me too, did she?" Dib asked softly.

"No." Zita said. "She just…has a hard time adjusting to change."

"Oh." Dib sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't have come out just yet…"

Torque clapped a hand on his shoulder. "They'll grow up." He said. "Sarah was in love. Can you blame her? What if you found out Zim was really straight?"

"Woa, woa." Dib waved his hands. "I said I liked him. I never said I was in love with him."

"You don't have to say it, Dib." Brian said.

"Sometimes you can see it easy." Zita smiled and stood. "I better go make sure they're okay." She left.

"So…you guys are _really_ okay with me being gay, right?" Dib asked. "What you guys said about Jess and Sarah aren't just to make me feel better?"

"Dib, we said we'd support you and be your friend no matter what. And we meant that." Torque said. "The girls are just strange."

Dib sighed. "I guess you're right."

000

Zim waited for Dib on the steps outside of the Skool. Gaz hadn't wanted to wait and left already. Dib exited the building, his eyes lighting up when he saw Zim.

"Hey." Dib greeted with a smile. "What's up?"

"Not much, you?" Zim asked quickly.

"Not much on my end either." Dib laughed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Zim rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, I know you're probably gonna say no, but uh…well…everyone overheard you yesterday and…Keef and the others want me to invite you to our next club meeting."

"Oh." Dib flushed. "I'm not so sure I wanna go. I'm not really…ready…to face that yet, okay?"

"No problem." Zim smiled. 'I figured you wouldn't want to anyway. I know Keef annoys you sometimes."

"How do you put up with him?" Dib wondered.

"He's not _that_ bad." Zim said. "I mean, once you get used to the high energy levels and all."

"I guess." Dib shrugged. "Wanna come over again today?"

"Sure." Zim smiled. "I wanted to talk to you about something, anyway."

"I'm all ears." Dib said.

Zim's smile waned. "No you're not."

"It's an ex…never mind." Dib laughed. "I'll just chalk it up to your…eccentric…personality." He laughed.

"I think that's a compliment…" Zim looked confused. "Anyway, I kind of…wanted to talk about us."

"Okay."

"We both define us as being just friends, right?" Zim asked.

Dib looked like a deflated balloon at that. "Yeah."

"That wasn't very convincing."

"Well…" Dib sighed. "Look, it's no secret to my friends that I like you as more than that. But I know you have a boyfriend inside clubs and so do I…but…club boyfriends…are only in clubs. They're not in the real world, right? So would it be considered cheating if I asked you out?"

"I…it wouldn't be cheating if I said yes." Zim said. "I talked it over with my club boyfriend the other day. We decided its fine to date outside of the club."

"Cool." Dib smiled. "Mine said he didn't mind either."

"Okay." Zim smiled. "So are you going to ask me?"

"Zim, do you want to go out this weekend?" Dib asked with a bit of a nervous laugh in his voice.

"I would love to."


	32. I Guess It Could Be Going Better

Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! Me with another update! I was going to update last night, but I was so tired I didn't even turn the computer on. Fell asleep between Kekkaishi and Fullmetal Alchemist. I feel ashamed. Anyway, we got the dog, so all that's settled now. And the paper I had to write was due on Friday, so it's off my hands! This is my last week to update as a teenager, so I'm going to try and update again before Friday, but I'm not sure. We'll see how things play out.

Nbld: Stop rambling. Thank you to Darkdagers, ecrounox, sasodei-iz-awesome, Invader Ang, Stardust-uh the twins did it, morgana starfire, TheAwesometrio'sAwesomeAmerica, XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX, ArcAngelCrystal, suckishLEMONADE, Silver Night Stalker, IHeart Link X3, Mio-chanz epic return FINALLY, .-, and joytotheworlddannyphantom for reviewing! Muffins for all! (Hands out muffins)

Dlbn: Review Corner time! Cause the quicker we shut up and answer questions, the less you have to hear from us.

Ecrounox: Yay, I'm inspiring! (Dance) lol

Invader Ang: Zim should totally call Keef out in front of Dib. I can just picture the bloodshed… XD

TheAwesomeTrio'sAwesomeAmerica: I feel like slapping them too, sometimes. But they have to be naïve and cunning for this to work, right? ;)

XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX: Zim would never leave Dib for Krill. (Shakes head) That would be one hell of a meeting though. I can see Dib glaring daggers at Krill now. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if Krill will come back later. I might save his epic return for a sequel…or end the fic with him returning. Uh-oh, cliffhanger alert… :O

Silver Night Stalker: It probably would be Zim getting pregnant, cause he bottoms. I don't know, though. Maybe one day they want to try something new and Dib gets pregnant…hm….

IHeartLink X3: I know I've probably said this like a million times already, but…Yay, fan art! Thank you! And yes, more is here! 3

Mio-chanz epic return FINALLY: Welcome back! (Glomps) Sorry to hear that happened. Yay Gaga! And please spare my sweet, sweet blood candies. :3

Joy2theworlddannyphantom: Hyper is fun! ;P They shall find out…EVENTUALLY. (Yup, The Amanda Show. I went there)

Disclaimer: I own nothing outside of the plot, The Mask, and Krill: The shrimp who may or may not return in this fic. Everything else Invader Zim related belongs to Jhonen C Vasquez. I only own a few shirts, two key-chain plushies, a journal, the DVDs, a VHS with one episode on it, and some silly bands that are Gir shaped.

000

Dib spun the barstool he was sitting on back and forth while inside The Mask. He was hoping that Iz would show up so they could talk. He wanted to let Iz know what was going on, that Iz wasn't going to be the only man in his life anymore. He was a bit nervous, but he knew it had to be done. He didn't want to become distant from Iz and the Mask before Iz knew about Zim. Of course, since he and Iz had discovered that they went to the same school, he was certain that Iz knew who Zim was. If Iz ever saw Zim and Dib together, if they decided to make their relationship more permanent, then he would know Dib's identity. Since the whole purpose of the masks and amplifiers was to hide identity, Dib didn't want Iz knowing who he was yet. He didn't know why. Iz deserved to know who he was sleeping with…right? Dib sighed. This was a bit confusing, he had to admit. How in the world could he be in love with two men at the same time? Sure, people managed to balance two love lives, but it normally didn't work out that well. Dib felt a hand on his shoulder and looked. Iz stood behind him, eyes bright behind his mask. Obviously, he had some good news.

"Hey." Dib greeted, turning the stool around to look at his lover.

"Hey, there." Iz responded with a smirk. "Did I keep you waiting too long?"

"No." Dib shook his head. "I would have preferred there to be _no_ waiting, but what can I do, right? You have a life outside of me."

"Not much of one, I admit." Iz said, taking a seat next to Dib. "I have a date this weekend, but that's the most excitement I'm having." His laugh was music to Dib's ears as he chuckled, as corny as it sounded.

Dib didn't know whose laugh he liked more; Iz or Zim's.

"What about you?" Iz asked, leaning his head in one hand. "Any good news on your end of the world?"

"My end?" Dib laughed. "We go to the same school. How much further could my world be from yours?"

Iz flushed, a bit of pink staining his cheeks. "You'd be surprised." He sounded serious, but Dib couldn't help but chuckle a little bit.

"I'm sure." Dib rolled his eyes as he laughed.

Iz's flush darkened. "You're avoiding my question, Moth." He informed, sounding much like a parent scolding their child for changing the subject.

"Sorry, sorry." Dib laughed. "I have a date this weekend, too." He said. "No one from school, though." What a liar he was.

"Oh?" Iz looked a bit disappointed. "Mine goes to our school. Different grade though, so I doubt you'd know him."

"Try me."

Iz paused. "…Kevin." He finally said, after a few minutes.

"Kevin…?" Dib wondered. "What about a last name?"

"If I told you that, you'd be able to figure out who I am." Iz laughed. "I don't know if you want that or not."

"That's true." Dib said. "I guess I'll have to wait until we finally reveal ourselves to find out who you're with then."

Iz shrugged. "Sounds like it." His voice had a lazy tone to it, almost like he had just woken up.

Dib laughed.

"So where did you meet your mystery guy?" Iz asked, leaning forward a bit.

"Mall." Dib said. "He asked my advice on buying something in the video game store and we hit it off, I guess."

"Cool." Iz said. "I didn't know you played video games."

"I don't, but my sister likes um. I wanted to get her one for her birthday."

Okay…so that wasn't a _total_ lie…

"Ah, I get it."

"Do you play video games?"

Iz shook his head. "I have better things to do, actually."

"Like what?"

"Like coming here and seeing you."

Dib cocked a smirk. "You sure know how to play a guy's heartstrings, hm?" He said. "A real Casanova." He let the word roll off his tongue.

Iz looked surprised. "I have no idea what that means." He said.

"You're a flirt."

"Hey!" Iz protested, flushing even darker still.

Dib kind of wondered how deep his flush could get. "I didn't mean anything by it. It's a compliment." He informed. "I'm not good at flirting like you are." He put a hand on Iz's.

"Liar." Iz muttered.

"I guess." Dib shrugged.

Iz twirled some of Dib's jet-black hair through his fingers. "What do you say we go and take this meeting elsewhere, hm?"

"Like where?" Dib asked.

"Well…" Iz flashed the bass the club owner had given him.

"Oh, I forgot about that." Dib pulled out his wallet and fished through for his card. "Yeah, we should use these."

They both stood. Dib held his hand to Iz, who took it, and together they went to the doors leading downstairs.

000

Zim hummed happily to himself as he continued working on his robot. Things were going great. He had a date with Dib, he and Moth were still going at it like there was no tomorrow, and he hadn't even thought about Invader what's-his-name in a few days. Nothing could spoil his life at that moment, except for his family finding him and forcing him home. Yeah, like _that_ was every going to happen. Zim had to laugh at his own thoughts. He missed his family terribly, sure, but he knew he was too far away for them to actually locate him. Zim tweaked one last wire before turning the robot on. He crossed his fingers and braced himself for another explosion. Instead, the robot's eyes lit blue and looked around the room.

Zim smiled, proud of himself. The head worked, at least. Now he needed to finish the body. The robot stopped looking around and stared at him, tilting its head to the side.

"Hi." Zim greeted it.

The robot blinked in response.

"I'm Zim." he said. "I'm your master."

The robot's eyes became upside-down triangles, seemingly out of joy.

"I need to finish working on you, okay? I'll turn you back on later."

The head tilted. Zim turned it off and cracked his knuckles. "Well, that was easy." He got up and walked into the kitchen.

Being allergic to earth food meant that he had to make his Irken food last, at least until he found a way to make earth food digestible. That was a process in and of itself. Not to mention that he had to finish his robot, go to school, sleep with Moth, date Dib, hang with his Skool friends, constantly make more money and weapons, and keep up appearances around town. It was a tiring life, but he chose it and he was going to stick with it.

Zim opened the refrigerator and pulled out a can of Irken soda. He popped the top and drank half of it before setting it back in the fridge. He walked back into the living room and surveyed his handiwork. The robot head was still sitting on the table, the eyes cold, grey, and lifeless. The body was almost complete. He had to attach one of the arms and then attach the head; easier said then done. As long as test runs went smoothly on the body, he'd have the whole thing finished by the end of the week. Zim looked at the clock and sighed. It was late and he had Skool in the morning. He looked back at the coffee table and realized that all his tools were lying around. He groaned and waved a hand at the mess. He'd clean it up tomorrow.

000

Dib watched Zim walk through the Skool gates with his head held high. When Zim's eyes caught his, they smiled and waved before Keef ran up to Zim and started talking his head off. Zim was practically dragged to the picnic table the others were seated at. Jessica, Zita, and Sarah had walked past Dib that morning without so much as a glance. He wondered what they were so mad at him, before he realized that he hadn't seen Brian, Torque, or Rob yet. Dib spotted the three of them walk in together and waved. Torque smiled at him, but Brian and rob pulled him off in another direction. What was going on with his friends? A shadow fell over Dib and he looked up. The Skool guidance counselor, Mr. Dwicky, was standing there.

"Good morning, Dib!" He greeted with a smile. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm fine, Mr. Dwicky." Dib responded. "How are you?"

"Good, good." Mr. Dwicky nodded and fiddled with the gold stud adorning his earlobe. "I'm surprised to see you sitting here all by yourself."

"They're avoiding me." Dib muttered. "I guess you probably know I came out the other day."

"…It's been mentioned to me." Mr. Dwicky said. "Are they okay with it?"

"They said they were, but Jess and Zita and Sarah are mad at me for whatever reason. With Sarah, it's probably because I broke her heart. She liked me."

"I've heard that before." Mr. Dwicky chuckled, his chuckles sounding more like giggles.

"I figured." Dib laughed. "Torque smiled on the way in, but Brian and Rob pulled him away." He sighed. "I don't get it. Why would they tell me they were okay with it if they weren't?"

"People are weird sometimes."

Dib frowned. That wasn't the answer he'd been expecting from a counselor. "Thanks." He said.

"You're welcome!" Mr. Dwicky beamed ad skipped up the stairs and into the building.

Dib couldn't help but watch the man. He was a weird one, that was for sure. Dib sighed and stood, adjusting his clothes. He spotted Zim watching him from the picnic bench. Dib sighed again. Gathering what little pride he had left at the moment and walked over. He stopped next to Zim.

"Hey, guys." Dib greeted.

"Hey, Dib!" Keef cried. "How are you?"

"Keef, man, not so loud." Zim lightly shoved him.

"Hey, watch." Keef complained, fixing his shirt. "This is a new shirt, you know."

"What?" Zim wondered. "My hands are clean."

The others laughed and Dib couldn't help but smile at their antics.

"What's up?" Zim wondered.

"Well…I was kind of wondering if…uh…would you guys mind if I uh…"

"Out with it." Gaz ordered. "I'm gonna lose this next level."

"I was wondering if you'd mind if I hung out with you guys for a while." Dib spoke quickly.

"What was that?" Gretchen wondered.

Dib sighed. "I was wondering if you'd mind if I hung out with you guys for a while." He said, slower.

The others exchanged a look. Gaz raised a quizzical eyebrow at her brother, while Zim smiled. "Sure." The other boy said. "You guys don't mind, do you?" He looked at the others.

"Sure, Zim, whatever you say." Keef batted his eyes at the new kid.

Zim flushed. "That's just creepy."

"Wanna see something really creepy?" Dirge reached for his shoelaces, but Morla threw her hands over them.

"No one wants to see that!" She complained.

"Morla's right!" Screamy cried, making Zim reach for his ears.

Dib merely winced.

"Screamy, I know we're outside, but can you use your inside voice, please?" Keef wondered. "People are starting to stare." He pushed a strand of orange-red hair behind his ear.

"Oh, let um stare." Zim waved a hand. "Who cares?"

"God, I wish I had your confidence." Keef said, titling his face up to the sun.

"My confidence?" Zim wondered. "You're the most boisterous thing here."

Gaz chuckled and Gretchen giggled.

"You don't care about what people think about you." Keef informed. "I so worry about what they think. I don't know why. Maybe it was just ingrained in my blood."

"Not in mine." Zim laughed. "My brothers would never let it go if I let others dictate how I did things."

"Your brothers seem to pick on you a lot." Dib pointed out, softly. He was new in the group, if he was a part of it, and didn't want to piss anyone off.

"Yeah, it's a habit." Zim said. "I just put on my kicked-puppy look and complain to mom. She stops them real quick."

Dib laughed. "Nice."

"So, Dib." Keef paused. "How's being out of the closet going for you?"

"Keef." Gaz growled, scolding him. "I told you not to bring it up."

"It's okay, gaz." Dib told his sister. He looked at Keef. "It could go better."

"What's wrong?" Zim asked.

"Oh, nothing. Sarah isn't handling it too well." Dib said. "She had a crush on me."

"Yeah, the whole Skool knows that. Even the teachers." Morla laughed.

"I know." Dib said. "Mr. Dwicky said he's heard it before."

"Creepy." Keef said. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was gay, too."

"Geeze, what was your first clue?" Melvin wondered.

"When he skipped into the building earlier." Dib offered.

"Aw, I missed it!" Keef complained.

Zim slid over a bit on the picnic table. "Have a seat." He said. "There's no reason to stand."

"I'm fine."

"Just do it." Gaz ordered, pressing away at buttons on her Gameslave. "Or I'll make you do it, and you know I will."

Dib nodded, knowing she meant her threat. He climbed up next to Zim and sat.

"So where are all your friends?" Gretchen wondered. "If you don't mind me asking!" She added quickly.

"Well, Sarah's upset cause I'm not with her, Jessica and Zita are with her, and Torque got dragged off by Rob and Brian." Dib sighed. "I think they're avoiding me."

"Why would you say that?" Zim asked. "Is your birthday coming up? Maybe they're planning something for you."

"No, my birthday passed." Dib responded.

"Well, there goes that plan." Zim muttered. "I thought they said they were okay with it?"

"How do you know?" Keef wondered, cocking an eyebrow.

"We talked." Zim nodded to Dib.

Dib smiled softly. "They said they were okay." He shrugged. "I guess it just takes time getting used to."

"If it's any consolation, Dib, there's always a seat open at our table for you." Keef grinned at him, tapping him lightly on the nose.

"Thanks." Dib smiled. Maybe things weren't so bad after all.


	33. What Am I To You?

Dlbn: Hey there everyone! Happy late Thanksgiving! This is my last update as a teenager, but it is NOT the last update ever. That would be cruel, considering how so much more has to happen.

Nbld: We would like to thank ArcAngelCrystal, Stardust-uhh the twins did it, Mio-chan's Return, Silver Night Stalker, Invader Ang, Shar're from Abydos, .-, suckishLEMONADE, morgana starfire, and XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX for reviewing! Mallets and copies of Dib's friends for all! (I think you know what to do with those mallets ;) !)

ArcAngelCrystal: Yes, it is cruel to say one thing and do another. I know a ton of people like that, just not the extent that poor Dib has to deal with.

Stardust-uhh the twins did it: That really sucks. I hope you get better soon!

Mio-chan's Return: I agree. Fuck all the homophobes! Things are going to get better for Dib soon, don't worry!

Silver Night Stalker: That is a _good_ point. Then again, Dib DOES have access to his dad's labs…maybe a freak accident could happen there? Hm….

Invader Ang: That's probably gonna be the only Dwicky in the story. He was quite an interesting person, so I put him in briefly. Shout-out to Dwicky and his voice actor…I forget who that is at the moment…oops…

Shar're from Abydos: I'm not sure how I'm going to handle it, but yes, he will find out. Zim can't keep that a secret for too long.

suckishLEMONADE: They are awesome. My best friend bought um for me for my birthday. Hot Topics had an explosion of Invader Zim merch recently.

Morgana starfire: Dib's weird that way. He hates what he sees in himself. Maybe he doesn't like Keef much cause he's secretly very energetic, himself. (Shrug) Dwicky's gone for the most part. Maybe he'll come by in passing.

XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX: His friends need real good kicks in their asses, no? Things will be explained shortly, so don't worry about them! And things are getting better for Dib… ;)

Not the ninjas! No! (Runs from ninjas)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, the Mask, and Krill who might return. Invader Zim and everything related to and encompassed within belongs to Jhonen C. Vasquez. I make no money.

This chapter is for my tenth grade math teacher, Mr. C (Who I based Dib and Zim's math teacher off of!) And yes, the Joys of Factoring, the Wonderful World of Parabolas, and Fractions: Yay are the actual names of topics we discussed in class. Mr. C was freaking awesome. Why couldn't I have him all throughout high school? I might have done better! (Cries)

000

Zim sighed as Mr. C. rambled on about math. He really didn't care, as he was more worried about Dib. How could his friends lie to him like that? Even Zim's brothers were upfront about what they thought of his sexual preference. How could a person say one thing and yet do another? Didn't they see how much they hurt Dib? Zim risked a glance to Dib's former friends. They were passing notes back and forth in the back of the classroom. Zim briefly wondered what the notes meant, before he realized that Mr. C. was calling his name.

"Do you know the answer, Zim?" Mr. C. wondered. "Your life will be incomplete if you dno't understand how to solve a parabola."

"X equals 5?" Zim offered. "And negative five?"

"Very good!" Mr. C. happily wrote the answer on the board. "And to think that I was worried that you weren't paying attention. Stupid me."

Zim smiled softly. "Honest mistake, Mr. C."

"Well, I shouldn't make it again." Mr. C. noticed something. "Torque? Brian? I hope those notes are about the joys of factoring!"

"They're our class notes on parabolas." Torque said. "I didn't get the answer to the last one."

"The joys of factoring wouldn't make much sense." Brian said. "That's not what we're doing."

"Well, I just thought that maybe you were so overjoyed by factoring that you wanted to do more. But nothing is better than the wonderful world of parabolas."

"Of course not." Brian and Torque said as one.

"Except for fractions!" Keef informed.

"Yay." Dib added.

The rest of the class giggled. Zim looked confused.

"That was before you got here, Zim." Dib explained.

"I figured that much, since I don't remember it."

More laughter. The bell rang, screeching loudly.

"Oh, come on! We were _just_ getting started!" Mr. C. complained. "Oh, well, rules are rules. You have your assignments from the weekly assignment sheet. Have fun with those parabolas!"

"Will do, Mr. C!" A boy in the back said. "I'm going to run to study hall just to do my homework right now!" He ran out of the room, arms flailing.

Laughter came from the other students as they started filing out. Torque and Brian walked over to where Zim, Dib, and Keef were.

"Hey." Torque greeted. "Keef? Can I talk to you for a minute? I don't understand our English homework."

"Oh." Keef looked at Dib, who shrugged. "Sure, I guess." He said.

"Cool." Torque smiled. "Hey, Dib. Zim."

"Hey." Dib nodded.

Zim just smiled, though it was obviously forced. They all just stood there awkwardly.

"So are you going to help me?" Torque asked Keef.

"Sure." Keef said. "Okay. Bye, guys." He waved to Zim and hugged Dib, before leaving with Torque.

"What's up?" Brian asked.

"Not much." Dib responded.

Zim grunted. "We're going to be late if we don't get moving."

"Yeah, I know." Brian said. "I just haven't seen you all morning." Brian looked at Dib.

"Bullshit." Dib muttered. He grabbed Zim by the wrist. "We should get going." He pulled Zim off without protest.

"Are you okay?" Zim wondered, stopping dead in his tracks.

The action made Dib stumble forward a bit before he regained his footing. He sighed and turned to look at Zim. "Not really." He said.

"Wanna skip again?" Zim offered. "We can hide in the bathroom that no one uses and talk or something."

Dib laughed softly. "I'd like to skip again." He slid his hand from Zim's wrists to his palm.

They slowly intertwined their fingers before going down the hall in perfect sync.

000

Dib twirled his fork in the unrecognizable mass that was his lunch. He and Zim had gotten away with skipping, but he was still a bit uneasy. Brian and torque had acted strange at the end of math. For one, Dib was sure Brian, Rob, and Torque had seen him sitting on the steps this morning. And no matter how much Torque didn't understand an assignment, he would never go to the ever-hyper Keef for help. He'd ask someone else in the class. Like Dib, or Sarah. Dib wondered what he _really_ wanted with Keef. The redhead hadn't said anything about his chat with Torque, at least while Dib was at the table. Was something going on? He'd ask Keef about it, but Dib had a feeling that Keef would either make up something about English homework or just say that it was nothing. Zim would probably get the same results if he asked for Dib, so all Dib could do was wonder and worry. Zim nudged Dib's ankle under the table. Dib looked up at him and smirked.

They kicked each other back and forth for a few moments before Zim spoke.

"You okay?" He asked. "You're acting off."

"I'm fine." Dib said.

"Your so called friends say anything to you?" Gaz wondered, cracking her knuckles.

"No, no." Dib waved a hand in her direction. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

Gaz gave him a look, but she let the matter drop and resumed playing her game.

"They said hi." Zim said. "At the end of math, but that was it."

"Well, Brian and Torque did." Dib corrected. "The others weren't around. I don't know where Rob went. He was here this morning."

"He got sick in gym." Gretchen informed. "Almost passed out, from what I overheard."

"Oh." Dib paused. "I hope he's okay…sort of…"

Keef teasingly slapped his shoulder. "You are so cruel." He giggled.

"Thanks, I try." Dib answered, earning snickers from Gaz.

Zim chuckled. "I'm not so sure, now." He said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dib raised an eyebrow.

"Well…when we first met…we were kind of…"

"Bitchy?" Gaz offered.

"Sure." Zim glared at her.

"Oh." Dib paused. "Yeah…I guess the tension of being in the closet my whole life was getting to me." He shrugged. "I feel better now, having that off my chest."

"We're glad you came out." Morla said.

"Yeah." Keef nodded. "I was right!"

"Keef!" Zim scolded. "Sorry, Dib."

"It's fine." Dib said. "I kind of expected that as his reaction, anyway."

"Oh, I have fantastic news!" Keef said, clapping his hands together. "The Principal said that our GLASS meeting classroom is going to be used for something else on Monday, so the meeting's been moved up to this Friday! We have two meeting this week!"

The others cheered and Dib flushed as he realized that others in the cafeteria were staring. Zim seemed to catch it and lightly kicked him.

"You'll get used to it." He informed. "Just pretend they're not there, okay?"

Dib nodded. "I'm gonna have to try."

000

Friday came around pretty quickly. Keef had let Zim know what room the meeting was in, so Zim and Dib were on their way to the room the second that the bell rang. Zim slammed his locker shut. Keef and the others had been acting strange all day, being secretive and what-not. Zim had a feeling they were planning another "welcome to GLASS" party or something and didn't want him blabbing it to Dib and turning him away from the club. Both Gaz and Zim talked Dib into going with them. Gaz had promised him that if he didn't like it, he didn't have to go again. Zim got him to go with a make-out session in Dib's room after school the day before. He was happy that Dib was going. He never thought Dib would agree to it, but whatever. Maybe he could get Dib to be a bit more open with his sexuality. People knew, sure, but Dib was doing his best to hide it. He and Zim would hold hands in the halls until Dib noticed people coming close and pulled his hand away. It was frustrating Zim, but he knew he had to give Dib some time. It wasn't like they were actually dating, anyway. They just…made out a lot…

Dib took Zim's hand in his as they continued walking. "You need to go to your locker, too?" Zim asked the raven haired male.

"Yeah, real quick." Dib said. "My bag is killing my shoulder."

Without saying anything more, Zim took Dib's bag from him and slung it onto his old shoulder.

"What did you do that for?" Dib tried to snatch the bag back, only succeeding in making Zim swing it out of his reach.

"You said it was heavy." Zim said. "I thought I could alleviate the pain for a bit."

"I can carry it myself, Zim, but thank you." Dib tried to swipe at the bag again, but Zim held it out of his reach.

"Uh-uh." Zim wagged a finger in Dib's face. "You're going to have to do better than that, love, if you wanna get it back."

"Oh, I can do much better." Dib smirked and pounced as Zim wretched his hand free.

"Ha-ha." Zim laughed, teasingly. "You call that much better?"

"Well, it's _better_." Dib scratched the back of his neck. "I wouldn't say much, though." He tried to reach for the bag again, but Zim continued to keep it out of his reach.

"Come and get it!" Zim sang, throwing the bag over his shoulder and taking off down the hall.

"Hey!" Dib gave chase.

He caught up to the Irken teenager pretty fast, but Zim kept the bag away. Dib finally grabbed onto the tail end of Zim's shirt and pulled him close, tripping the other boy up. Zim landed on the floor, Dib on his knees in front of him. Zim looked at Dib over his knees, a bit dizzy. Dib blushed. "Caught you." He said softly.

"Yeah, you did." Zim held the backpack out to Dib, who took it from him.

"Thanks." Dib said. "That was fun."

"Very." Zim nodded. "You seem like you need some fun."

Dib smiled softly. "You know what else is fun?"

"What?"

Dib put his bag on the ground and pushed Zim's knee to the side. He crawled over the Irken and smirked down at him. "This." He leaned down and their lips met.

Zim instantly melted onto the floor, thankful that he couldn't go through walls. He grabbed onto the lapels of Dib's trench-coat and pulled the human onto him. Dib propped himself up with a hand on either side of Zim's head. When he felt Zim's tongue, Dib pulled away.

"Um…" Dib paused. "I…uh…"

"We're lucky no one's around." Zim chuckled softly. _You idiot! That was the dumbest thing you've ever said to him!_

"Yeah, that too." Dib paused. "I…Zim?"

"Yeah?"

"What are we?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I know I'm not your boyfriend, but…I mean…this." He gestured to the position they were in. "It feels…right and…"

Zim flushed, hoping the dark emerald that was spilling across his features was coming across as pink on the hologram, like a human. "I know what you mean." Zim crossed his arms under his head, laying on them like a pillow. "I don't know what we are." He confessed. "I mean, I'd _like_ to call you my boyfriend, but I don't wanna do anything to make you uncomfortable."

"I love you." Dib blurted.

"Huh?" Zim cocked an eyebrow.

"Please don't make me repeat it." Dib muttered.

"You…_love_…me?" Zim wondered, a bit surprised. Where was this coming from?

Dib nodded, his pink flush turning dark red. "For a while now." He admitted. "I just…didn't want to admit it, I guess. But after all that's happened…you know…I realized that I don't really give a damn."

Zim smirked. "Well…if it's any consolation…" Zim paused. "I can't get you out of my head." He confessed. "You're always there. Even before we started…you know…this…this whatever we're doing."

Dib smiled softly and backed off of Zim. Zim sat up and smiled at him. "I love you, too."

Dib pulled him close and kissed him. "Come on." he said, pulling away slightly. "We shouldn't keep everyone waiting."

They stood and Zim grabbed Dib's backpack.

"Not this again." Dib moaned.

"Yup!" Zim took off down the hallway, a laughing and smiling Dib on his heels.


	34. Dib's first GLASS Meeting

Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! Time for another update! Yay! (Throws confetti)

Nbld: Review corner time! Thank you to ecrounox, Invader Ang, Stardust-uhh the twins did it, Silver Night Stalker, XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX, suckishLEMONADE, Mio-chan is a lazycake is a lie, and IHeartLink X3 for reviewing! Cupcakes for all!

Ecrounox: I tried to make Zim and Dib all flirty in the last chapter. Glad you thought it was cute! Thank you for the birthday wish!

Invader Ang: Dwicky wouldn't be a pedo for Dib in this. I mean, Dib already has Iz and Zim to "juggle". What would he do if his counselor was after his rear end, too? And Dib kind of WAS bitchy at the start, ya have to admit. XD Thanks for the birthday wishes!

Silver Night Stalker: Did I respond to that in the email chain? If not, then Dib is just messing around with stuff in the lab and spills it on accident. Or did it on purpose if we're going for the whole "they need a human womb" scenario.

XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX: Dib's friends being all asinine should be explained in this chapter. Or it just makes no sense whatsoever and you can use that mallet again. XD

Mio-chan is a lazycake is a lie: Glad things are going better! ^_^

IHeartLink X3: Thank you once again for the fanart! Glad you enjoyed the chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing outside of Krill (Who I have a good use for later on), the Mask, and the plot. Invader Zim and anything related to it belong to Jhonen C Vasquez. I make no profit. You know the drill.

000

"This is the room, right?" Dib wondered, adjusting the collar of his trench coat to cover the hickey that Zim had oh-so-generously left.

"Yeah." Zim nodded, running his tongue over his bottom lip. "Ready?"

"Ready." Dib nodded.

They grasped hands and Zim pushed the door open. The instant the door opened, confetti and shouts of 'surprise' greeted them. Zim watched the little shard of paper and streamers float down around them. Someone was using a bubble machine and another person was using a smoke machine. Oh, wouldn't Purple _love _that? Too bad Zim's brother wasn't there. Red would hate it. He liked lasers more. Thankfully, Zim didn't see any lasers floating around.

"Welcome to GLASS, Dib!" Keef greeted, pouncing on the darker haired male.

"W-what?" Dib took a step back as Keef knocked into him. He was obviously stunned into submission, because he wasn't moving otherwise.

"Screw that." Another voice said. "Welcome out of the closet."

Other snickered. Zim recognized the voice. "Torque?" He wondered.

Torque was sitting on a desk with Rob, Brian, Sarah, Zita, and Jessica surrounding him. Torque gave a half wave by flinging his wrist.

"Hey." He greeted.

"What are you doing here?" Dib asked, recovering from Keef. "You're not in GLASS."

"You seemed so down and out." Zita said. "We wanted to throw a party to surprise you!"

Sarah trudged over. Though she was smiling, her demeanor showed that she still wasn't over the fact that the guy she liked was really gay. She held a cake to Dib. "Blow it out." She said. "It's hot."

Dib gave her a small smile and blew out the candle on the cake. "Glad you're finally out of the closet." He read the icing. "Thanks."

"That's not the only surprise we've gotten this week." Keef rubbed Dib's neck, where the hickey was.

Both Dib and Zim flushed at that. "S-shut up!" Dib ordered, covering the mark.

The others snickered.

"Wait." Rob said. "Weren't you two together all day?"

"Yeah." Dib answered.  
"So?" Zim asked.

"So…where did that come from?"

All eyes turned to Zim. "What?" He wondered, playing innocent.

There was silence until Keef squealed. "Seriously!" He wondered. "This calls for a celebration of great proportion!"

"I didn't know you knew big words like that, Keef." Gaz muttered, not looking up from her Game Slave. What else was new?

"Oh, stop, Gaz!" Keef waved his hand. "Gretchen! Kick up the tunes and let's _get this party started_!"

There was silence in the room for a few moments, with all eyes on Keef, before Gretchen turned the music on. Pop music started playing loudly, reverberating off of the walls and making Zim's antennae quiver in pain. He looked to Dib. "You might as well take your hand off of that. Everyone knows." He said.

Dib glared at him. "Whatever." He laughed, removing his hand.

"I'm gonna get a drink. Want something?"

"Uh…sure. Just a cola, please."

"Two colas. Got it." Zim smiled. He left Dib and went toward the refreshment table.

Torque and his crew were at Dib's side the instant Zim left.

"So when did you and Zim happen, huh?" Zita wondered. "Details!"

"Uh…" Dib flushed. "Let me ask you guys something, first. Why in the world were you avoiding me the past few days?"

"So we could plan the party." Jessica grinned, flipping her long hair behind her shoulder. "It wouldn't be fun if you knew all about it. We wanted to surprise you."

"I think we did a good job of that!" Brian said, shoving Dib gently. "A real deer-in-headlights look, man. I know people say that a lot, but you were the closest I've ever seen!" he imitated Dib's facial expression, making Rob shove him into a desk.

"Stop it, man, give him a break!" Rob ordered with a laugh. "We caught him off guard. It happens, sometimes."

Dib cracked a small smile. "I guess." He said. "If you guys were _really_ just avoiding me so I wouldn't find out about this, then I feel like an ass."

"Why you say that?" Zita cocked her head to the side.

"Well…I thought you guys were…mad at me or something."

"Mad at you for what?" Torque asked. "Being…?"

Dib nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"Dude, you're our friend." Torque said. "We told you that we don't care, and we meant it."

"I'm a little bummed because it means I'll never have you," Sarah added, "but I'll get over it. We've been friends since Elementary Skool. Why would we suddenly ditch you for no real reason?"

"I don't know." Dib sighed. "I guess…when I came out…I was expecting the worst. I was expecting to be pushed away, to be called insane or something. I expected you guys to say that I was a fool for being gay, that there's no way I could really be gay. Or that you just wouldn't take me seriously and think it was a big joke. And it isn't. I'm gay. And that's that."

"We know that's that." Brian said. "It's not like a person can switch on and off their sexuality. You've been gay for a while, haven't you?"

"Yeah." Dib nodded. "Gaz was the only one to know, though. Dad only found out a few weeks ago."

"And he was okay with it?"

"Surprisingly."

They laughed as Zim rejoined them. "Glad to see you're all getting along again." He smiled, handing Dib his drink.

"Thanks, Zim." Dib gave him a light peck on the lips.

"You two are so sweet!" Jessica squealed. "Why can't you guys be like that?" She looked accusingly at Torque, Brian, and Rob.

"Hey, I'm sweet." Rob said, pointing to himself.

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Not that sweet, you're not." She said. "I expect a kiss like that." She offered him her cheek.

"Jess…we're in public…" Rob blushed.

"You're blushing!" Torque laughed.

"You're not off the hook either, you!" Zita wagged her finger at him and offered her cheek as well.

Torque sighed and kissed her. She squealed and threw her arms around his neck. Dib looked at Zim and they snickered.

000

Dib flopped down on his bed and Zim sat in the chair once they got back to the Membrane household. Gaz had ditched the boyfriends to go in her room and continue to play her Game Slave. It was almost five in the afternoon, but Zim lived alone, so he didn't have parents to tell him what time to be home. As for Dib, his father was always at work, so there was no need for him to harass Zim…again…

"Hey, Zim?" Dib wondered.

"Yeah?" Zim responded.

"How come you don't eat?"

Dib could have sworn that Zim froze in his spot.

"What are you talking about? I eat." Zim flushed.

"Now at the party, you didn't. And don't give me "my mother doesn't like me spoiling my appetite", cause you live alone."

"I can't put anything past you, can I?" Zim laughed. "I just didn't want to eat junk food." He shrugged. "I'm gonna get real food when I get home. You feeling better now?"

"Don't change the topic on me." Dib scolded.

Zim sighed. "I eat, just not a lot."

Dib raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, alright. Truth?"

"Please." Dib nodded with a small smile.

"I have a lot of food allergies and I'm not sure what's in the things the other members made."

Dib slumped back against the pillows. "Seriously?"

Zim nodded. "Honest to goodness truth." He pushed the chair he was in over to Dib's bed with one foot. It made contact with the bed and Dib looked up. "I promise, I'm not lying."

"I know you're not." Dib leaned up and kissed the other male. "But it's a strange explanation. What are you allergic to, anyway? If you don't mind me asking."

"Earth food."

"What?"

"It's a joke." Zim laughed. "Strawberries, grapes, chocolate, water, soda, acids…"

"Water?"

"Sucks, right? I'm surprised my insides haven't eaten themselves out." Zim laughed, but it seemed forced.

"Okay, so that's a lot of allergies, I admit."

Zim nodded. "See? That's why I'm so cautious of what I eat."

"So you cook for yourself, then? What do you make?"

"Oh, nothing much. Snacks, mostly."

"Snacks? That can't fill you up. Don't you get sick?"

Zim shook his head. "Nope." He said. "Seems that all my body can tolerate it snacks."

"Don't let my dad know any of this. He'd love to dissect you to figure out how you're still alive, or something." Dib laughed, but then noticed Zim's worry. "It's just a joke. He wouldn't do that to you, I swear. I mean, I wouldn't let him, and neither would Gaz. And if he managed to abduct you or something, not that he'd try, then we'd come get you…" He started to babble.

Zim put a finger on his lips. "Sh." He ordered. "I understand what you mean, Dib. It's just a hypothetical, right?"

"Right." Dib smiled. "I love you." He kissed Zim's finger.

"I love you, too."

000

That night, Zim 'sipped' his soda as he sat on a barstool inside the Mask. He'd have to start bringing food to lunch so Dib wouldn't get suspicious again. But he really _was _allergic to Earth food, so how could he make anything passable that he could eat? It was strange. Zim could make and use advanced weaponry, but he couldn't figure out how to cook edible food and test what worked. He supposed he could use blood samples and put his blood on food and see if it worked. That would help with the bloodstream, but would it work with his organs? His squeedly spooch and his blood were two different things with different functions. Could…?

Zim wasn't able to think more, because he felt a hand slide across his waist. He turned to clock the guy touching him, but it was Moth. Moth smiled, his eyes lighting up behind his mask.

"Hey, good looking." Moth greeted, dragging his hand across Zim's back as he moved around him to sit. "How you doing?"

"I'm good." Zim smiled and kissed Moth on the cheek. "You?"

"Not bad, not bad." He said. "I met someone."

"Oh yeah?"

Moth nodded. "He's from our school. I mentioned I had an interest in him?"

"Yeah?" Zim arched an eyebrow. "You ask him out?"

"We have a date this weekend."

"Congratulations!" Zim hugged him. "Guess this means you won't need me around anymore, hm?" He laughed. "That's okay. I have a date, too."

"Oh yeah? Cool." Moth smiled.

"Yeah."

"And…about not needing you…we're friends, right?" Moth wondered. "Of course I still need you around."

"Oh." Zim flushed. "Yeah, we are." He smiled. "So where are you guys going?"

"Not sure yet. You?"

"Me neither."

Moth laughed. "I should probably talk to him tomorrow about that…"

"Yeah, same here." Zim laughed. "I mean, before anything comes up though, you know?"

Moth nodded. "Yeah, I know."

There was silence between them, the only noise being the music and the couple making out quite furiously next to them.

"They should really get a pass or something." Zim said to Moth.

Moth laughed. "Yeah, like we do." He smirked. "I know we have dates and everything, but…you wanna go in one of the private rooms? Get away from all of this?" Moth gestured to the rest of the club.

"I thought we come here specifically to be a part of this." Zim mocked his gesture.

"Well, yeah, but we can talk better downstairs. Less music and less of that." Moth nodded at the couple behind them that were now leaning on the counter.

"Ew." Zim made a face. "Okay, let's go."

They stood and Moth took Zim's hand in his. He led him to the guarded door that led downstairs, then down to one of the private rooms. Zim swiped his card in the slot on the door and they entered. It was set up like the other one; a bed, a dresser, and a night stand. A large mirror sat on top of the dresser, along with a CD player and CDs and an assortment of lotions and lubricants.

"Wow, they're really hinting at something here, aren't they?" Moth flushed, looking over the bottles.

"Yeah, you got that right." Zim couldn't help but shudder.

Did this place expect everyone to want to do _that_? Probably. That's what the private rooms were for, anyway. Was that was what he and Moth were there for? More than just a chat? Hopefully not. Zim didn't know if he should be sleeping with Moth when he was dating Dib, but…what the heck? They needed a release sometimes, if it came down to it.

"Hey, Moth?" Zim asked. "We never worked out this whole sleeping together thing."

"We agreed that it was fine, didn't we?" Moth wondered.

"To be dating and hanging out inside the club, but we never said anything about…" Zim looked to the bed.

"Oh." Moth flushed. "I'd kind of assumed that the bed was off limit now."

"That's what I was thinking, too."

Moth smiled, but his expression quickly turned to one of surprise. "Did you think I asked you down here for that?" He asked. "Oh, Iz, you know me better then that…I think…"

"Maybe." Zim cocked a smirk.

"If we're both dating other people in the real world, those other people should come first in…well…the bedroom…"

"Well…we've never…me and my boyfriend on the outside, I mean…"

"No, me and mine neither. But we just started these relationships, no?" He asked. "It would be creepy to start having sex so quickly."

"Yeah, really." Zim laughed.

"So…sex isn't an option, but…one little kiss can't hurt, can it?"

"No, I don't think so."

Zim sat on the bed and Moth followed. Their lips met quickly and Zim couldn't help but moan. Moth chuckled as he ghosted his fingertips along Zim's sides. Zim wrapped his arms around his neck as Moth moved from his lips to his neck. He kissed down Zim's jawbone to his neck and nibbled on the flesh as he got closer to Zim's shoulder. Moth pushed the shirt's material out of the way and sunk his teeth into Zim's flesh. Zim arched a bit at the slight pain.

"Moth…not so hard…you're not a vampire." He said.

Moth chuckled and ran his tongue along Zim's shoulder. "Or am I?"

"You don't sparkle in the sun."

"How would you know?" Moth pulled back and kissed Zim's nose. "I've never seen you during the day."

"I think I'd notice if a kid was walking around at school sparkling."

"Real vampires don't do that anyway."

Zim shrugged and they kissed again. Moth lay Zim down on the bed and kissed him. Zim got onto his elbows and inched back to the pillows, Moth following. They broke their kiss once Zim's head was on the pillows and Moth was successfully straddling his hips.

"I love you." Moth muttered, kissing the outer shell of Zim's 'ear'.

"You, too." Zim responded.

Moth sealed their words with a kiss.


	35. Date

Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! Sorry about the gap between updates. I had a lot of stuff going on this past weekend, so I was too tired to update. My whole body still hurts from dancing at a banquet on Saturday. Long story. ^^

Nbld: Thank you to Invader Ang, ecrounox, suckishLEMONADE, Silver Night Stalker, Shar're from Abydos, XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX, and Mio-chan Billy Idol is sexy for reviewing! (Hands over CDs with dance-remixes and other music on them)

Invader Ang: Let's just say that Dib borrowed his sister's makeup. Yes, Gaz has makeup. She doesn't wear it much, though, cause I can't see Gaz putting on foundation every morning. Besides, I guess it's a bit dark in the club.

Ecrounox: If people went by Dib and Zim's example, maybe some of the drama would go away. There are a few more things that need to happen before they figure out who each other are. But it WILL be in this fic.

suckishLEMONADE: Thank you! I've been thinking about writing more all day. :P

Silver Night Stalker: They already feel a little guilty about it, which is why they're questioning each other about it in the club. The guilt will come into play in the next chapter or two.

Shar're from Abydos: Thank you! XD

XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX: I like the Twilight films, but the books make me sleep. And let's face it, Edward sparkles and hangs out in trees. He's a fairy. Lol

Mio-chan Billy Idol is sexy: I have the Glee version of "Dancing with Myself". I love it. :D

Disclaimer: I own the Mask, Krill, and that's about it. Everything else belongs to Jhonen C Vasquez. Except for the two kids Zim and Dib meet later. Those are mine. they only show up here.

000

Zim sighed as he rang the doorbell to the Membrane household. Zim and Dib hadn't decided on anything for their date other than a time and to meet at Dib's house. The door swung open and Professor Membrane stood on the other side.

"Hello?" He looked down at Zim. "Oh, Zim. Come in." He grabbed Zim by the arm and yanked him inside as he spoke. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Uh…" Zim paused. "Me and Dib are going out." He said. "Is he here?"

"He's in his room." Professor Membrane confirmed. "Want some super toast?"

"Uh…no thank you."

"Are you sure? Where are you guys going?"

"We have no idea."

"Eat something then." Membrane ordered. "Come." He shut the door and pulled Zim into the kitchen.

"I really don't think…" Zim tried to argue.

"Nonsense. There's no need to think here." He walked briskly to the counter. He picked up the toaster and pressed a button. A slice of toast popped out, already with butter on the top of it.

"Look, Professor, I really appreciate it, but I don't want any super toast, thank you." Zim said. "I mean, I already ate, and…"

"You don't need to be hungry to eat super toast!"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't eating when you're not hungry not a good idea?"

"Well, if you do it all the time, yes." Membrane nodded. "But this is a one time deal." He thrust the super toast to Zim. "Try it. I know you'll love it."

"I can't…"

Membrane, seeming to not know what 'no' meant, took Zim's hand and put the super toast into it. "I insist."

Zim sighed. He closed his eyes and put the toast by his mouth.

"Zim!" Dib's voice called.

Zim turned. "Oh, thank God." He muttered. "Hey."

"Hey." Dib smiled. "Put that down. You're going to spoil your appetite."

"I…didn't want to be rude." Zim said, mouthing 'thank you' when Membrane turned.

"You're going out to eat?" Membrane looked at Zim. "I thought you already ate."

"I did." Zim said.

"Dinner afterwards, dad." Dib rolled his eyes.

"This sounds…like a wonderful idea." Membrane said. "I'm glad you're finally getting out of the house to hang with people _other_ then those friends of yours."

"Dad…" Dib wiped a hand over his face. "Do you remember what I told you about my sexuality?"

"About being gay?"

"Yeah." Dib nodded in Zim's direction.

The Irken flushed when Membrane's eyes landed on him.

"Ah, so this is a date, then?" Membrane said.

Dib nodded.

"Well, run along, then." Membrane looked at his watch. "Oh! I have to be at the labs in FIFTEEN minutes! We're almost done with my Santa-Destruction Machine!"

"Santa-Destruction Machine?" Zim repeated.

"Yes, yes, the SDM is a fantastic project, but I must leave! The fate of the world DEPENDS on it!" He pointed to the air and leaped out of the kitchen.

No one spoke until the door shut.

"Dad needs help." Gaz's voice informed, as the violet-haired girl plopped down at the kitchen table.

"We're going out, Gaz." Dib informed. "Are you going to be okay by yourself?"

Gaz shrugged. "Whatever."

Dib rolled his eyes. "Come on, Zim, let's go."

"See ya later, Gaz." Zim said.

"Bye."

Dib held the front door open for Zim and they left. Membrane's car peeled out of the driveway and down the road.

"I was planning on using that." Dib muttered.

Zim snickered. "We can walk. It's nice out."

"Yeah." Dib smiled.

"So where are we going?"

Dib took Zim's hand in his. "Let's go." He said. "It's a surprise."

000

Zim looked up at the building Dib had brought him to. It looked like a plain old warehouse, but flashing lights and loud music coming from inside said different. Smoke was curling out from under the door, reflecting the streetlamps into Zim's eyes. He shielded his gaze and looked at Dib.

"What in the world is this?" He asked.

"Ever been to a rave?" Dib wondered.

"Rave?" Zim raised an eyebrow. "Never heard of one."

Dib gaped at him. "You're kidding me."

Zim shook his head as the door opened and music assaulted his hearing, louder then before. Zim put a hand to his head to cover his antennae and watched as two kids got thrown onto the pavement. A man on the other side of the door glared at them and shut the door behind them. The music quieted down a bit. Both boys stood, brushed themselves off, and cursed at the door.

"You boys going in?" The one on the left asked.

Dib and Zim nodded. "We planned on it." Dib informed. "Why?"

"Word of advice. When one of the girls in a black miniskirt and white shirt goes by with a tray of drinks, don't grab her ass." The one on the left said. He pointed to his shirt, which was spotted with different liquids.

Zim smelled a strong scent from liquor wafting off of the boys. "We'll keep that in mind." He confirmed, scrunching up his nose in disgust at the smell.

"Well, have fun then." The one on the left said. He pulled a couple small items from his pocket and handed it to Dib. "You might need these."

The other boy took two things from his pocket and handed them to Zim. "Good luck."

He and his friend stumbled away. Zim watched them go before looking into his hand to see what he was given. A condom and a pacifier?

"Well…forward, aren't they?"

"Yeah." Dib nodded. "I don't think we'll need these." He threw the pacifier to the side, but slipped the condom into his back pocket.

Zim flushed and followed his lead. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't pacifiers for sm…children?" He almost slipped up and said 'Smeet'. He doubted Dib could hear him well anyway from the music.

"Well, yeah, but…" Dib blinked. "I can't believe you don't know."

"Know what?"

"People who are using E suck on pacifiers so they won't grind their teeth."

"E?"

"Ecstasy."

Zim blinked. What did an extreme state of bliss have to do with anything?

"We wouldn't use it anyway. It's dangerous." Dib said. "Come on, let's go in."

Zim followed him in, pondering why ecstasy was dangerous. He had always thought it was a good thing…

000

About an hour or two later, Zim and Dib had finished touring the warehouse. It wouldn't have taken so long, but they had stopped to make out against every wall they could, so it took long. And they got lost a few times. Zim blamed Dib for that one. The inside of the warehouse was decorated in the same manner as The Mask was, but there wasn't a bar counter with bar stools. Zim wondered why. This whole experience was new to him. Was a rave a club for gay couples? Why that ridiculous name? The pacifiers and ecstasy were still the most confusing. Zim followed Dib onto the dance floor. The music was fast paced, as custom for gay bars. At least the ones Zim had been to before, that is. Dib pulled Zim close.

"You know how to dance right?" He whispered across Zim's 'ear'.

"Of course, I can dance." Zim smirked. He turned in Dib's embrace and swiveled his hips, grinding a bit against his date.

Dib bit back a moan as Zim's rear-end rubbed against a sensitive spot on him. It was like Zim knew just what to do to drive him _wild_. How close had Zim gotten to other guys before? Dib didn't have time to ponder because he felt Zim lean his head back on Dib's shoulder. Dib looked down to see Zim's eyes, but they were closed. Dib couldn't resist temptation. He pressed his lips to Zim's. The other's lips felt soft and pliable under his own. Zim sighed in content and wrapped his arms around Dib's neck. Not moving his head, Zim responded with his lips. Their lips danced together in perfect sync for a moment or two before Dib felt a soft tongue prodding at his lips. Zim's tongue felt a bit pointy for some reason, but Dib ignored it. He let his lips part a bit and sensed Zim's tongue slipping in before he even felt it against his own tongue. They fought for dominance for a moment or two before Zim's tongue returned to its rightful place and they had to part for air. Dib watched Zim's eyes slowly open. Pale green orbs glared back at him as Zim flashed him a white, toothy grin. "I love you." Zim said softly.

If not for their close proximity and Dib's ability to sort-or read lips, he wouldn't have caught the words. "I love you, too." He said.

They kissed again, Zim turning in Dib's arms to face him. Zim wrapped his arms around Dib's neck and the raven haired male picked him up and spun him in a circle. Dib set Zim back on the ground and smiled at him when they pulled away. "I love you." Dib nuzzled his cheek against Zim's forehead.

"You, too." Zim smiled.

"Hey…uh…" Dib paused. "Tell me if I'm being too forward, but…" Dib pressed against Zim, feeling a bump that matched his own. "Do you want to put those 'gifts' to good use?"

Zim smirked. "Sure. To a hotel, I presume?"

Dib smirked back at him. "Gaz went over to Gretchen's house. Gretchen got a new game system, apparently, and Gaz wants to test it."

"Yeah?"

"And dad's at work."

Zim's smirk turned into a sly grin. "So…no one's home."

Dib chuckled. "Exactly."

Zim took Dib by the hand and dragged him to the front door. Dib laughed and stumbled over his own feet, following Zim all the way.


	36. REAL ZADR!

Dlbn: Hey there everyone! Sorry about the long break (AGAIN) But school's been annoying and I've been lazy. Also, I had to edit some more graphic parts of this out to make it acceptable for regular fanfic. I hope there's nothing in here that shouldn't be, but if there is, then I apologize in advance. I figured this scene is long enough for a chapter, so the morning after will have to wait until next time.

Nbld: Review corner! Thank you to Invader Ang, ecrounox, Silver Night Stalker, suckishLEMONADE, Arcae, Shar're from Abydos, Miochan nightmare b4 highskool, and XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX for reviewing! ZaDr shirts for all!

Invader Ang: The only reason I know of local gay bars is my friend does this TV show with her club at college, and one of the guys knows a lot of them. Strangely enough, he's straight. (Shrug) And don't feel bad. I'm 20 and NBK, never dated. ^^

Ecrounox: Thank you! Take your time scanning it. Don't wanna rush ya. Yes, Dib is VERY suggestive. The finding out is coming soon!

Silver Night Stalker: Thank you! Dib probably wishes he had some biology project he needs to work on with Zim. ;) And yes, that does make sense. Their relationship is taken to another level in the next chapter. Hilarity is most likely to ensue in it.

Miochan nightmare b4 highskool: Zim and Dib are a little slow in the whole realizing area, no? Silly teenagers. Nightmare Before Christmas! YAY! I have the special edition one they released a few years ago. I saw it in theatres when it was 3D. amazing movie!

XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX: Dib will get into Zim's pants tonight. One way or another. (Rip off line from a YouTube video I love. Sorry. Lol)

Disclaimer: I own Krill and the Mask. Everything else is Jhonen C Vasquez's.

000

Dib and Zim crashed onto Dib's bed, kissing passionately. Zim wrapped his arms around Dib's neck and moaned into the kiss. Dib arched down and connected his hips with Zim's, causing a moan from the human. Being in bed with Iz had _nothing_ on this. Sure, Iz was good, but just a simple kiss from Zim had Dib's mind going into a sexual overdrive. Zim nibbling on his bottom lip caused another moan to come out of Dib. Dib pulled away slowly.

"I love you, Zim." He informed, running a hand through Zim's chestnut hair.

"I love you too, Dib." Zim responded.

Dib went back in for another kiss, but at the last moment settled for Zim's jaw. He lightly flicked his tongue across the skin and pressed his lips against it. Dib suckled lightly on the flesh with his teeth, running his tongue along the skin caught between his teeth. Zim arched up against him and contacted their hips. Dib felt a jolt slide through his body as hipbone met hipbone. He pulled away from Zim's neck, trying to see past the stars clouding his vision.

"Did I hurt you or something?" Zim asked, worry dancing in his eyes when Dib looked at him.

"No, why?"

"You stopped…abruptly."

"Oh, no, it's just from pleasure." Dib laughed, before kissing the corner of Zim's mouth.

Zim smirked. "Glad you're enjoying yourself." He contacted their hips again.

"Zim!" Dib cried out.

Zim snickered. "Yes?"

Dib laughed. "Never mind. Tease."

"That I am." Zim licked Dib's bottom lip. "Very much so, actually."

"That's not a surprise." Dib kissed Zim again to silence him, his fingers undoing the buttons on the other boy's shirt.

The shirt lay open, exposing Zim's chest and abs to Dib. Dib smirked and placed kisses down Zim's neck to his chest, biting on a nipple and rolling it between his teeth.

"Oh…Dib…!" Zim cried out.

Dib pulled back, feeling Zim's nails digging into his scalp through his hair. "Zim…" He muttered, kissing a trail back up the other's chest.

Zim's hands slid down and pulled Dib's shirt over his head, exposing his chest as well. Zim took a few moments to look over the male he was about to sleep with for the first time. There was something familiar about him, like Zim had seen it before. Zim chalked it up to being in gym with Dib and having lockers close together. He probably _did_ see Dib shirtless before.

Dib pulled Zim's shirt off of him, letting Zim arch up so he could move it out from under him. Zim licked Dib's collarbone when the other boy leaned down to move Zim's shirt. Dib almost collapsed onto the bed, but he held his ground. Zim licked along his collarbone for what felt like eternity before he suckled on the flesh, drawing a long moan from Dib. Dib pulled away and kissed Zim on the forehead.

"I love you." He muttered. Not waiting for a response, Dib began undoing Zim's belt.

Zim followed his lead and pulled his belt free of its constraints, tossing it to the floor to meet their shirts. Zim's belt quickly met the Dib's. Making quick work of Zim's zipper, Dib lightly pressed his fingers against the small lump that was forming in his partner's pants. Zim threw his head back and moaned. Enjoying the reaction, Dib moved his hand from its spot and slid it down Zim's leg, on the outside of his jeans. Zim toyed with the button on Dib's pants, trying desperately to free it from its hole. It finally slipped free and Zim let out an, "aha". Dib snorted with a smile. He'd said that when he'd managed to get Iz's belt undone. How in the world could he be thinking of Iz at a time like this? It was sick! He should be thinking of _Zim_, not _Iz_.

Zim undoing Dib's pants and partially sliding them off his hips snapped Dib out of his trance and ended his thoughts of Iz. Dib stopped massaging Zim's leg to pull his pants all the way down and kick them off to the floor.

"A little foreword, aren't we?" Dib asked.

"Says the guy who agreed to this in the first place."

Dib paused. "Touché." He kissed Zim again, returning to his previous action of rubbing the inside of Zim's leg.

A bit frustrated with the fact that they weren't going any further, Zim moved his leg from Dib's touch. Dib pulled from Zim. "I do something wrong?"

"No." Zim shook his head. "I wish you'd touch somewhere else, though, to be honest." He arched against Dib to emphasize a point.

Dib grunted, feeling the lump in his boxers hit the one in Zim's. He pressed against Zim again, springing a moan from the other. Zim ran his hands along Dib's sides before going to the waistband of his boxers. He fiddled with the elastic before sliding a hand inside. Dib arched again. "Damn…"

Zim chuckled, loving the reaction he was getting from his soon-to-be-lover. He rubbed his hand against Dib the best he could, being constricted by the fabric and all. Dib's fingertips ghosted along Zim's sides, sending shiver up the Irken's spine. As Zim writhed beneath his touch, Dib used one hand to pull Zim's boxers down. A little massaging on the inside of his thigh brought Zim back to the real world. He arched his back against Dib and their pelvises connected. A low guttural sound rumbled from Dib's throat. Zim chuckled and ground against him once more. The Irken didn't try to stop the ceaseless mewling coming from his mouth. It wasn't like him to make noises like that, but for some reason, the fact that they were escaping wasn't bothering him. Strange. Maybe it was because he was so focused on Dib? Zim ran a hand along the bulge in Dib's boxers, making the older teen shiver and bite back a moan.

"I love you." Dib muttered, almost collapsing on Zim for the second time since they'd started.

"I love you, too." Zim responded with a smile. "So…are we going to just keep professing our love, or are we gonna do it?"

"Doing it." Dib crawled off of the bed and rifled through his jeans' pocket. He found the condom the boy had given him at the rave and ripped it open, throwing the pieces of the wrapper on the floor to be retrieved later.

When he got back on the bed, Zim was sitting with his legs crossed. Dib flushed at the sight, making Zim flush as well. He started to put it on himself, but Zim grabbed his hand and took the condom from him.

"Lay back."Zim ordered.

"Uh…" Dib paused. "If I'd known you'd wanted to top..."

"Oh, I don't." Zim shook his head, flushing. "I've never…been on top before…"

"Oh." Dib smiled sheepishly and lay back. "Sorry."

Zim nodded he set the condom down on the bed next to him and leaned over Dib. He gently spread the other's legs to give himself room. Zim took a deep breath to calm himself before kissing his partner's member without warning.

"Zim!" Dib cried out, feeling the soft lips pressed against him. "Warn me, damn!"

Zim nodded and kissed him again, licking at him. Dib's protests faded away and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Zim smirked, enjoying the reaction. He continued as Dib moaned again and entwined his fingers into Zim's hair. Zim moaned at the motion. Zim came off of him, flicking his tongue against Dib's member. Dib arched to Zim's touch. Zim chuckled and grabbed the condom, slipping it onto his lover.

"All done." Zim informed.

He sat back and licked his mouth, putting a little saliva on his drying lips. Dib sat up as Zim lay down and crawled over the boy. He pressed a kiss to Zim's inner thigh.

"I love you." He put one of Zim's legs on his shoulder and Zim assisted with the other one.

"Let me know if I hurt you, okay?" He asked.

"I think I can take it." Zim responded.

Dib slid in a little bit before stopping. "You okay?" He wondered.

"I'm okay." Zim said. "You don't need to ask…"

"Stop." Dib ordered, shushing Zim with the index finger on his other hand. "I just want to make sure I don't hurt you."

"You won't, I promise." Zim responded.

Dib cocked an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

Zim nodded. "Very."

Dib sighed. "Tell me the second this hurts and I'll stop, okay?"

Zim nodded again.

Dib pushed in slowly, noting how Zim bit into his lip and closed his eyes. Was he in pain or enjoying it? "Are you…?"

"I didn't say I was hurt, did I?" Zim laughed. "Stop worrying, Dib, I'm fine. I can take it."

Dib nodded and pressed his way in. Zim threw his head back. "Dib!" he cried.

Dib stopped when he was done. "Say when, okay?"

Zim nodded. A few moment passed, both boy softly panting. Zim sighed. "Okay. Move."

Dib did as he was told. Zim arched his back as Dib continued. Dib kneaded the inside of Zim's left thigh with his left hand, gauging the reaction he got from the other.

"Mm…Dib!" Zim moaned, arching his back up high like a cat. "Damn, Dib…I'm…"

Dib nodded. "I know." He grunted. "Same here."

Zim took a gulp of air in before arching high into the air and crying out Dib's name. Dib finished shortly after Zim did. He caught himself before falling. Dib's hair fell into his eyes, slightly blocking his view of Zim. Zim's hair was matted down from sweat, but he really didn't mind the sticky feeling. Zim slowly opened his eyes to see Dib over him, panting with his eyes closed. Zim touched the side of his face and Dib's eyes snapped open. Zim smiled softly and leaned up. Dib leaned down and their lips met for another kiss.

"I love you." Dib said, pressing his forehead to Zim's.

"I love you, too." Zim nuzzled his forehead into Dib's.

After a few moments of lying there like that, Dib cleaned himself up, thankful that the trash was next to the bed. He lay down next to Zim when he was finished.

Zim curled over against the boy. "I love you." He kissed a pink nipple.

Dib chuckled. "I love you, too."

Zim pulled up a blanket from the floor, which they'd left there before they'd started, and covered them both up. Dib put his glasses on the table next to him and wrapped his arms around Zim, turning to his side. Before either of them knew it, they were both out.


	37. The Afterglow

Dlbn: I have NO excuse for why this is so late. Except that I promised my friend a Cloud/Sephiroth fanfic for Christmas, so I had to write that and post it. that's done now though, so I'm off of working on that. And exams are annoying. Thankfully I only have two more to do, but neither of them are for tomorrow. My last day is Wednesday, so hopefully I'll get off my butt and update more!

Nbld: Thank you to InvaderRue31777, ecrounox, Invader Ang, Trust me I'm Silver, Shar're from Abydos, kyothefallenkit, suckishLEMONADE, MoonToy, Mio-chan and Limey Man, and XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX for reviewing! Cookies for all! (Tosses out a bunch of cookies)

Ecrounox: I didn't think of Gaz walking in on them. Another time, maybe. They won't expect her home or something. I can just imagine the look on her face. "That's more of my brother then I ever wanted to see in my life."

Invader Ang: It DOES taste like bologna! Yay! Thank you! ^^

Trust me I'm Silver: I think they're in the middle of hell by now. But they'll get out eventually!

Shar're from Abydos: Sorry for not answering. My bad. =^.^=

Dib will most likely find out in the sequel. Yes, I have an idea for a sequel! He's either gonna learn at the end of this or in there. I'm leaning more towards the end of this, after Zim and Dib find out who Mask and Iz are.

Kyothefallenkit: They're oblivious like that. XD

suckishLEMONADE: Disturbingly cute is appropriate in this case, I think. XD My friends would be disturbed completely, but they can go away.

Mio-chan and Limey Man: I'm happy to know your hair likes ZADR. Mine doesn't care either way, I think. (Sweatdrop) Hifive! Oh yea for 3D! Yugioh the Abridged. Awesome. I went to a concert with a friend and her boyfriend, and they were quoting the episodes all day. It was funny. I gotta watch that sometime…

XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX: Spoiler alert! Zim's parents don't find him at the end of this. That comes in the sequel. ^^

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Krill and the Mask. I wonder where Krill is now, anyway? (Checks under foot) Nope, not there. I'll keep looking! Anyway, Invader Zim and everything related to the show belongs to Jhonen C Vasquez. I only own a ton of merch.

000

Zim awoke the next morning in Dib's arms. The older teen was still asleep, nestled against Zim's chestnut hair. Zim sighed contently and nuzzled under Dib's chin. Last night was, strangely enough, so much better then with Moth. Why was that? Zim loved both men…didn't he? Oh…Moth…Zim paused. Why did _everything_ come back to Moth? First it was all going back to Krill, then Dib, and now Moth. Couldn't Zim clear his mind for once? Zim chuckled. Of course not. That would be too easy. And the universe just loved screwing with him. Just like the guys in his life. Zim chuckled at his own thoughts and noticed Dib waking up.

"Morning." Dib greeted, hugging Zim close.

"Morning." Zim agreed, kissing Dib.

They pulled apart and Dib pressed his foreheads to Zim's. "That was amazing." He said.

Zim nodded. "Yup." He said.

Dib laughed. "Hey…can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Zim shrugged. "What?"

"Your club boyfriend…uh…how…serious is it?"

Zim flushed instantly. "Oh." He muttered. "Well…we…you know…a couple times but…what about you?"

"Same here." Dib said. "We both agreed that our real relationships wouldn't get in the way, so…"

Zim thought for a minute. "Would you like to meet him?"

"Meet him?" Dib raised an eyebrow. "Uh…sure." He smiled. "You can meet mine too, if you want."

"Sounds like a plan."

Someone knocked on Dib's bedroom door. "Zim, Dib, lunch!" Gaz said. "The monitor won't give me food until you enter the approval code!"

"Approval code?" Zim repeated.

"It's a long story. I just have to press 'yes' when it asks me something. It's a recorded message from dad, since he's at work a lot." Dib explained quickly. "Coming, Gaz!"

"Hurry up!" Gaz ordered. "Get dressed and get out here!"

"How did she…?" Zim's eyes widened.

"She probably came in here earlier to see if I was home or not." Dib shrugged. "Wait, she said lunch. What time is it?"

Zim turned and looked at the clock on Dib's nightstand. "Noon."

"We slept all morning?" Dib asked, startled. He sat up. "Did your parents say when you had to be back?"

Zim gave him a look.

"Oh…right…" Dib flushed. "Sorry, I forget sometimes."

"It's okay." Zim laughed. "Not everyone can remember everything all of the time."

Dib's door flew open and both the boys looked towards it. Gaz stood in the doorway, her face showing anger at her brother for not moving quicker.

"I _said_ get out here and enter your approval code _now_!"

"Can't you enter it?" Dib groaned. "You only have to hit 'yes'."

"It checks DNA, Dib, it will know if I press it twice." Gaz said. "If you don't get your ass up _now_, I don't care if you don't have pants on. I will drag you downstairs myself!"

"Alright, alright!" Dib rolled his eyes. "Turn around so I can change."

Gaz growled, but did as he asked. Dib slid out of bad and yanked his pants up, buttoning the brass button on the top. "Sorry, Zim." He said. "I'll be back." Dib leaned over and kissed his boyfriend, before racing out the door after Gaz.

Zim sighed and sat up. Noon already? It felt earlier then that. Zim couldn't believe he'd asked Dib to meet Moth. What was he _thinking_?

000

When Monday rolled around, Dib and Zim walked through the front gates of the Skool holding hands. People were whispering and looking, but neither teen cared. Zim leaned his head on Dib's shoulder as they walked, sending a glare at a kid who gave them both a look that Zim didn't like. He recognized it as disgusted mixed with anger. But with how some people were around town, it was no surprise. People had been giving them looks on the way over, considering that they rode the City Bus together. Zim lad leaned against Dib, laying sideways on the seat. A little kid that was across from them had loudly asked his mother why 'those boys are sitting like that'. Her response had equally been as loud, and it wasn't something Zim liked. He was glad they got to Skool when they did, or he would have said something.

Keef bounded over to Dib and Zim when he saw them come closer. "About time, you two!" Keef said dramatically, pointing his finger in the air.

"Shut up, Keef." Zim ordered, lightly shoving the redhead.

Keef giggled.

"You already knew about us, genius." Dib added.

"Well, yea, but you guys weren't all lovey-dovey." Keef said. "Did something happen between you?"

A glare from Zim and a blush on Dib's cheeks made Keef squeal and put his hands to his mouth.

"I _knew_ it!"

"We went out, Keef, don't get any ideas." Zim sighed, already knowing what the other was thinking.

Just because he was happy to be with Dib didn't mean he wanted his friends knowing the intimate parts of their relationship. He wasn't even going to tell Moth, let alone Keef.

"His blush says otherwise."

"If I'm blushing, it's only because it didn't sound right." Dib snapped.

"Sure, sure." Keef rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Dibby!"

"Dibby?" Dib arched an eyebrow.

"What's going on?" Torque asked, clamping a hand onto Dib's shoulder. 'I could hear Keef from the front steps."

The others were with him. Sarah was looking at Zim and Dib's intertwined hands, almost longingly. Zim wondered if she wanted to be the one holding Dib's hand. Zim gave Dib's hand a light squeeze and smiled when Sarah looked at him. She glared, but she didn't say anything.

"Keef thinks me and Zim…" Dib paused. "You know."

"Well, did you?" Torque raised an eyebrow.

Dib didn't answer.

"No answer means yes." Brian warned.

"It's not your business." Zim responded for Dib.

Dib nodded. "I agree." He said. "I don't ask about what you two do." He nodded to Zita.

"I'd tell you if you wanted to know." Torque informed.

"You'd better not." Zita hissed, warning him with her eyes.

"I wouldn't be specific!"

"Hey, you two." Keef addressed them. "We're pretty open around here about relationships, and we welcome you into the gang, but tell us stories of your sexual conquests and I will seriously hurl. More then 50% of us are gay over here, you know."

Zim stifled his laughter against the back of his hand.

"Shut up, Keef." Torque ordered.

"It's true, you know." Gaz pointed out, scowling at the jock.

The bell rang before Torque could retaliate. "Hey, Dib, can we talk for a minute?" Torque asked.

"Uh…sure." Dib said. He kissed Zim. "I'll see you later."

"Okay." Zim smiled. "See ya later."

Keef grabbed Zim by the arm. "Come on, Romeo." He said. "We need to talk to. Like, _now_."

"Uh…" Zim couldn't say more as Keef yanked him away by the arm.

The others followed, waving goodbye to Dib and his friends.

Dib turned to Torque. "What's up?" He asked.

"Look…" Torque paused. "This whole bonding thing our groups our doing…I don't think it's working well."

"What do you mean?" Dib asked. "You guys are getting along with Zim's friends, right?"

"Yeah, at the party we did." Jessica said.

"Keef is just a little too much to handle, still." Brian informed. "And they aren't too happy with us being here."

"What are you talking about?" Dib laughed. "I don't see any real problems."

"You heard Keef, right?"

"Heterosexual displays of intimacy gross him out." Dib shrugged. "Like when Zim and I kiss in front of you guys. I know you don't like it, but that doesn't mean you don't like me. Keef's just expressing his opinion, is all."

"Just cause you two are dating, does that mean we have to hang with them all the time?" Sarah wondered twirling some of her long, navy blue hair between her fingers.

"Well, no, I don't want to make you guys uncomfortable…" Dib rubbed the back of his neck. "But once and a while, could you try?"

"Fine, for you, we will." Rob agreed.

Dib smiled softly. "Thanks guys."

000

"So why do we need to talk?" Zim asked Keef as he was pulled down the hall.

"You." Keef said. "We wanted to ask you something." His voice had a strange singing quality to it.

"…Yeah?" Zim was a bit hesitant.

"Well, the GLASS club normally celebrates birthdays with a big party." Gretchen said.

"You guys really like parties, huh?" Zim wondered.

"You don't know the half of it." Gaz sneered.

"Oh stop being so grumpy, Gazzy!" Keef ordered.

Gaz's left eyebrow twitched. "Did you just call me 'Gazzy'?"

"You can doom him later, Gaz." Dirge said. "Let him ask Zim the question first."

"Thanks, Dirgy!" Keef smiled at his friend.

"Dirgy?" The other boy repeated.

Gretchen and Melvin shrugged.

"So when's your birthday?" Keef asked. "We wanna celebrate it!"

"I…really wish you wouldn't." Zim muttered. He didn't want to have to calculate his birthday. It was October here, but it was May or so back home.

"_Please_?" Keef begged, giving Zim a puppy-dog look.

"I don't want a party." Zim waved his hands. "My birthday isn't a big deal!"

He didn't know his real birthday anyway, having been living in the streets for four years until his mother found him. They called the day that she took him home his birthday. November 5.

"Just let him know when it is. He'll forget if he doesn't write it down, anyway." Gaz informed.

"November 5." Zim answered. Technically, his birthday would be April 5 on Earth, but this was easier.

That was when Zim noticed Keef scribbling on his hand with a pen. "Oh, come on, Keef!" Zim begged. "Get that off your hand!"

"Nope!" Keef beamed. "We're celebrating it now. Yay!"

"Keef, I normally don't threaten people, but…" Zim paused. "If you don't wipe that off of your hand, I'll wipe it off of your hand _for_ you."

Gaz raised an eyebrow, pausing her Gameslave for once in her life. "I think I'm starting to like you a bit more." She informed.

"Uh…thanks." Zim turned back to Keef. "_Please_ Keef?" He asked.

"Hmmm." Keef pretended to think for a moment. "You'll have to catch me!" He took off down the hall.

"Don't do this, Keef." Gretchen moaned.

Zim snarled. "I'll catch him." He jumped and sped off after the other boy, chasing him through the crowded hallways and dodging people.

The bell rang as they sped past Mr. Elliot.

"Boys, no running in the halls!" He called after them. "Get to class!"


	38. Coac Walrus' Offer

Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! Two updates in one week? It's been _forever_ since that happened! And no, I wasn't taken by the pod people and replaced with a horribly made clone. Or by the Irkens and replaced with a horribly made robot.

Nbld: Enough of the craziness. Thank you to Arcae, Mio-chan just screwed you ALL, ecrounox, Invader Ang, .-, Silver Night Stalker, suckishLEMONADE, Shar're from Abydos, xXEternal Promise, and XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX for reviewing! Invader Zim shaped sugar cookies for all!

Mio-chan just screwed you ALL: I looked at the account. Pretty cool! XD The Duelists thank your hair for your review. At least this one does lol

Ecrounox: The meeting Iz/Moth thing isn't in this chapter, but it will likely be in the next. It's a crucial part of the story, mostly cause I've left everyone hanging about it, so I wanna spend extra time on it. I could see Gaz using pictures as blackmail. But then again, video games at her friend's house should keep her occupied for a few years. The chances of her coming home early were slim. XD

Invader Ang: Any yaoi Keef can get his hands on is good for him, since he doesn't have a boyfriend…._yet_, at least. Yes, Zim sees no reason in celebrating his birthday cause it's not his real birthday anyway. He doesn't know with the whole adoption thing, and Miyuki was too lazy to look it up and tell him.

Silver Night Stalker: Yea, Keef is a creeper here, just like he's a creeper in Zim. seriously, he gets worse in the unfinished one "Return of Keef". The audio was online so I listened to itt. Creepy Keef! And I think they're going to Lust, whichever level that was. I forget numbers, though I learned in Medieval History lol.

SuckishLEMONADE: Alien-spidery-metal-legggy. Lmao. I love it. XD

Shar're from Abydos: I'm always happy to answer any questions. That's what I'm here for! (That and adding more chapters of ZADR goodness)

XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX: Torque and the rest of Dib's clique will get over it. They're just still getting used to the idea is all.

Dlbn: On a final note before we begin, everyone have a wonderful holiday and enjoy what's left of 2010. It's almost over!

Disclaimer: I own nothing outside of Krill, The Mask, and the plot. Invader Zim and everything about it belongs to Jhonen C Vasquez. But you already knew that. I'm just used to writing these, so they appear all the time.

000

Once lunch came around, Dib wasn't surprised to find that his friends were at a separate table from the GLASS members. It was probably due to lack of space, but the others had clearly stated their annoyance with the others. Dib sighed and took a seat next to Zim, kissing him on the cheek.

"Hey." Zim greeted, not taking his eyes off of Keef.

The redhead seemed indifferent to the looks that he was getting. Dib wondered what was wrong.

"What's up?" Dib asked.

"Keef wants to celebrate Zim's birthday, but Zim doesn't want him to." Gaz answered, nonchalantly.

"It's your birthday?" Dib gulped.

Zim laughed. "No, my birthday's November 5th." He responded. "Keef wrote it on his hand. He got the idea from someone _else_." Zim looked at Gaz.

"What?" She asked, shrugging.

"It's coming up, then?" Dib asked. "Cool."

Zim smiled softly. "I guess." He said. He didn't see the big deal about a birthday. It just meant that another year had passed by where he didn't do anything significant. Well, other then running away from home for stupid reasons. Zim admitted he'd done wrong when he left, but he was glad he did. Otherwise, he wouldn't have the friends he did. Let alone being with Dib. It was strange, but Zim couldn't imagine being without Dib and the others, even though he'd only known them a few weeks.

"What do you mean, 'you guess'?" Dib wondered. "It's your first birthday with _us_! We _have_ to throw you a party!"

"_Thank_ you!" Keef said from the other side of the table. "Maybe he'll listen to you, since you slept together and all."

"We did not!" Zim and Dib yelled at once, bursting into laughter once they realized what they'd done.

"Oh no." Gaz sighed. "Next comes finishing each other's sentences."

Zim glared at her and Dib laughed. "No party." Zim told Dib. "I don't want one."

"But…"

"Please, Dib?" Zim wondered, giving Dib a pleading look that Keef used on Mr. C all the time.

Zim wondered if the other had the hots for their math teacher, but that went away quickly. The only person Keef seemed to have a genuine crush on was Zim. He _did_ kiss him at the reunion, after all. He probably shouldn't tell Dib. Dib didn't like Keef much from the start, so he'd probably react badly to the news. The last thing Zim wanted to do was cause problems between his boyfriend and what could only be classified as his first friend, if not best. Best friend…that term seemed so foreign. Zim was used to his guards scaring away anyone who got close. This was a welcome change though. It was so _boring_ to have nothing but his family and his illegal weapons to keep him company. Speaking of, he was _really_ slacking off on making the stun gun he wanted to try out. Just in case those guys that jumped him two weeks ago came back. Zim wanted to be prepared to fry them without a second thought. He kind of wanted to do the same thing to Keef right now. If he didn't get rid of the writing on his hand, at least. He'd been going over it again and again to make sure it didn't come off. Zim wished he hadn't, but there wasn't much he could do.

"Keef." Zim said, his voice dangerously calm. "Would you _please_ get that off of your hand and forget when my birthday is? I _really_ don't want a party. I never have, and I don't wanna start now."

"You're _never_ had a birthday party?" Keef asked. "Well, then damn are we throwing you the best one you never got!"

"Keef, come on!" Zim whined. He didn't like having to whine, and playing the whole 'prince' card wouldn't work in this situation. "I hate to say it, but I'll d anything you want if you get rid of it."

"_Any_thing?" Keef's eyes sparkled.

Dib growled possessively. He didn't like that look.

Zim sighed, defeated. "Yeah."

"Hm…" Keef thought for a moment, looking up at the ceiling and tapping his finger on his chin. "I guess I could work with that." He smirked. He took Gretchen's almost-empty water bottle and poured a few drops on his hand. He scrubbed with a napkin until the ink was washed off. "Now, what shall I have you do?" He assumed his thinking pose again. A pose Zim had a feeling he didn't use often.

"How about a kiss?" Keef puckered his lips. "I'm waiting."

"You're waiting for a punch across the face, Keef, I swear." Dib threatened softly.

"It's fine, Dib." Zim smiled. "It's not like it means anything. But you have to close your eyes, okay, Keef?"

Keef nodded and shut his eyes while Dib gaped. There was _no way_ Zim was going to do this. Zim sighed. He wet his index and middle fingers with water from Gretchen's water bottle that had landed on the table. He pressed his fingers to Keef's lips before pulling them away and sitting. Keef grinned like an idiot. 'Thank you!"

Gaz burst into laughter, shocking the others.

"Are you okay, Gaz?" Dib asked.

Gaz shook her head at Zim. "You're such an ass." She said.

"Hey, I said I'd do it." Zim winked.

Dib laughed. How could he ever think Zim would willingly kiss anyone else? Well, other than Moth. But Dib was going to meet him, so it was good. Right?

000

Gym class came around again. Zim, Dib, and their merging groups of friends sat on the grass on the inside of the track. Coach Walrus paced back and forth.

"Listen up!" He ordered. "Today we are going to run laps on the track."

Kids moaned.

"It will prepare you for the horrors you will have to face as an adult." Coach Walrus said. "One day, you will all thank me for this, I can assure you of _that_!"

Zim doubted that.

"You will either run twenty laps, or run until you collapse. Whichever comes first. I don't care either way, because I still get paid." Coach Walrus said. "I don't want anyone walking a complete lap and I don't want to see anyone resting on the sides of the track unless I blow my whistle and call for a time out. For those of you who had me as a coach last year, you know full well that I do not do that very often. Now, all of you get up and get to work!" He took a deep breath and blew into the whistle.

The kids groaned and stood, but they ran onto the track anyway to avoid being whistled at. Zim, Dib, and the others stayed close to one another as other kids either raced ahead of them, or trailed behind. Zim found the pace they were going at to be a little slow.

"Hey, you guys mind if I go my own pace?" Zim asked. "I feel like I'm crawling, no offense."

"None taken!" Keef offered. "Besides, if you run ahead of us, then we can see that cute little ass of yours."

"Keef!" Dib scolded with a glare. "Stop hitting on my boyfriend in front of me."

People stared at the term 'boyfriend', but they stopped when Torque gave them warning glares.

"Oh, relax Mr. Grumpy-Puss!" Keef responded. "I'm just messing around. I know Zim's your boy…" he paused.

"Boyfriend?" Gretchen offered softly.

"Yeah, that." Keef grunted out quickly.

Zim rolled his eyes. "I'm just gonna go now…" He said. Before anyone could say anything more, he took off down the track, passing kids who had previously been passing him and his friends. After ten laps, Coach walrus blew his whistle. "Zim, come here!" He ordered. "The rest of you keep moving!" he blew the whistle as loud as he could.

Zim winced and jogged over to the coach. "Yes, Coach?"

"Zim, I have never seen anyone run that fast in my career as a coach!"

He was so _loud_! Zim wondered if he and Screamy were related somehow. "Thank you?" Zim asked apprehensively.

"How would you like to join our school track team? We could win a lot of meets if we had a member like you!"

"Uh…can you tone down your voice a bit? I'm sensitive to loud noises."

The coach glared at him. "It's a yes or no question, Zim." He said. "And I don't want to hear anything about asking your parents. You're old enough to make these decisions on your own! You're in high school, not Pampereds!"

Not in what? "Uh…yes?" Zim offered weakly.

"Good." Coach nodded once. "Go finish your laps. Eleven more to go!"

"Uh…ten, sir…"

"You want to go to the principal's office?"

"No. Sorry, sir." Zim said, before running back to the track.

"What did coach want?" Dib wondered, once he caught up to his boyfriend.

"He asked me to join the track team." Zim shrugged.

"And you said…?"

"I said yes." Zim shrugged again. "I don't see a problem. I'll be free at night and on weekends, I assume, so we can still go out and stuff."

Dib smiled. "I know you wouldn't ditch me for some sports team." He said, kissing the other boy on the cheek.

"You know me pretty well, huh?" Zim chuckled.

Dib nodded. "I think I do."

_Not enough._


	39. Dib Meets Moth?

Dlbn: Hey there everyone! It's me with another chapter! What a weekend. The holidays, the fighting, my best friend creeping me out…and snow. Ugh, I hate snow. Anyway, enough of my problems. I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend and Christmas if you celebrate.

Nbld: Congratulations to Invader LACE ZaLr for being review number 300! Wahoo!

Thank you to Invader LACE ZaLr, ecrounox, .-, Shar're from Abydos, Mio-chan says Merry Christmas, XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX, suckishLEMONADE, Moth Mask, and Silver Night Stalker for reviewing! (Hands out inflatable Zim and Dib things for the lawns. Or inside your houses. I don't know what you plan to do with them, just make sure its legal ;) )

Invader LACE ZaLr: Yes, Keef is getting _very_ jealous. Cuz Dib is dating the guy he wants and Keef is still single. He will be for a while, too, cause I just like torturing him like that sometimes. And Keef won't do anything to mess up their relationship. I'd kill him myself first. Don't worry about the Fanart. Take your time. There's no rush.

Ecrounox: Eh, I get threats all the time. It's not a big deal. XD

.-: They will find out everything soon. Like in the next two or three chapters.

Shar're from Abydos: Aw, thank you! Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah to you, too! I don't know how to spell Hanukkah either. My spell check says it's right the way I typed it though, so I'm going with that. My friend saw it spelled with a "C" and asked if it was "shawn-u-kah". I had to laugh at that.

Mio-chan says Merry Christmas: Track buddies! Yes, Keef is a jealous little psycho. I saw a YouTube video with clips of "Bestest Friends" and Obsessed by Mariah Carey. It fits so well. He _is_ obsessed with Zim. Yay for gay Keef art! Woot! The duelists are glad to know that your hair is pleased. All hail the hair!

XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX: Merry Christmas to you, too! Oh my god, Dib's friends walking in would have been hilarious. I can just imagine Dib. "This isn't what it looks like…"

SuckishLEMONADE: XD

Moth Mask: Things are going to get awkward alright…

Silver Night Stalker: Shrines are good. I can see Keef dancing to single Ladies now, and it's freakin hilarious. Then maybe they'll go to Purgatory for Lust. I'm not sure.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, The Mask, and Krill. Where _is_ he, anyway? Moving on…Invader Zim and everything related to it belongs to Jhonen. I own nothing.

000

Zim knew that Mondays weren't the most popular nights at The Mask, as Moth had told him, but he figured he'd try and see if Moth was there anyway. None of the teachers he had had assigned really big homework, so he hoped that Moth's teachers hadn't either. When Zim did an initial sweep over the people inside, he didn't see Moth. Another look helped him find Moth coming out from a back hallway. The bathrooms were down that way, so hopefully that was where he was. Zim smiled and walked in the direction Moth was going, catching up to him and nudging him with his shoulder. Moth looked at him and smiled. "Oh, hey." He greeted. "I didn't think you'd be here."

"Really?" Zim wondered, arching his eyebrow. "I thought you weren't here until I saw you come from over there." He pointed towards the bathrooms.

"Yeah, sometimes you can't resist the urge to go, right?" Moth laughed. "I was just coming here to unwind. You?"

"I was looking for you, actually."

"You were?" Moth raised an eyebrow and a sly smile crawled across his face. "For what, dare I ask?"

"Can we sit and talk?" Zim asked, motioning to the bar.

Moth nodded. "Oh, sure." He agreed.

They walked over hand in hand and sat, ordering cokes from the bartender.

"So what do you need to talk to me about?" Moth wondered.

"Well…" Zim paused. "I was talking to my boyfriend…"

"Yeah?"

"And uh…he wants to meet you."

Moth looked surprised. "Really?" He wondered. "Cause…my boyfriend wanted to meet you, too."

"Oh yeah?" Zim smiled. "I guess we have a plan then." He laughed.

"Sure." Moth nodded. "I'll meet yours first, since you asked first."

Zim nodded. "Okay."

"And then you can meet mine."

"Works for me." Zim shrugged. "Time and place?"

"Well, not here, that's for sure." Moth laughed. "The park?"

"Uh…I don't know where that is."

"Does he?"

"Probably. He's lived here longer." Zim nodded, taking a sip of his soda.

"Okay…how about by the basketball courts at 7 on Saturday night?

"I don't see an issue. I'll probably be with him all day anyway." Zim smiled. "How am I going to know it's you? I mean, I can't wear my mask and amplifier with him around."

"Good point…" Moth paused. "How about I wear mine and you just throw yours on when you see me and call me over?"

"Sounds good to me. And you do the same when you see me?" Zim asked.

Moth nodded. "Yup." He paused for a minute. "Can we wait until I ask him what's a good time and date to meet?"

"Okay." Zim nodded.

Moth leaned over and kissed Zim's cheek. Zim turned his head slightly for a kiss, but Moth pulled away.

"Sorry." He muttered. "My boyfriend and I…got closer over the weekend. So could we take a short break from kissing and stuff? At least until I double check with him?"

"Sure." Zim couldn't help but feel a little hurt. They'd said that having boyfriends was no big deal and that a little kiss wasn't an issue. Why the sudden change? Sure, Zim and Dib had sex, but Zim didn't find it necessary to avoid a kiss or a hug. What in the world did Moth and his boyfriend _do_?

000

Zim tapped his foot on the ground as he and Dib waited for Moth on Saturday night. Zim had kept his mask well hidden in one of the pockets on the cargo pants he was wearing. Dib had helped him pick out clothes at the mall earlier. Zim was wearing black cargos and a red t-shirt. Dib, on the other hand, was wearing faded wash jeans and a blue shirt. It was a bit chilly, so the human had worn a black trench coat over his clothes. Zim had decided to go without a jacket. He didn't find it too chilly, but Membrane had insisted for Dib to wear a coat out. Dib adjusted his glasses and checked his watch.

"Your friend said 7, right?" Dib asked.

"Yeah, he did." Zim responded, huddling closer to Dib. "What time is it, anyway?"

"It's a quarter to 8." To Zim's confused look, he added, "7:45."

"Ah." Zim nodded. "Sorry. I'm not good with time sometimes." His eyes scanned the park for Moth again, but he was disappointed to see that the other male wasn't there yet. "Come on, Moth, where are you?" Zim muttered in Irken, so Dib couldn't understand what he was saying. It wasn't like it mattered either way, but Zim didn't want him knowing Moth's name until they met. It felt more proper that way. The more seconds ticked by, the more Zim felt blown off. Had something happened to Moth? Zim hoped not. The last thing, one of them to be fair, he wanted was Moth to get hurt just because Zim wanted him and Dib to meet. Maybe Moth had had a last minute emergency or something? Zim _knew_ he should have given Moth his cell phone…oh right…no service. Damn. He needed to get an Earth phone. Could 16 year olds buy their own cells here? Well, Zim was technically 14 in Irken years, but he could fake being 16. He seemed to be the right height that it was believable.

"Hey, Dib?" Zim asked.

"Yes?"

"How old do you have to be to buy your own cell phone?"

"I'd say 18 cause most places don't want to get into agreements with minors." Dib responded, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I think I need one."

Dib laughed. "That was random."

"I was just thinking that I should have given him a cell phone number, then I realized I don't have a cell anyway."

Dib chuckled. "That might be a good thing to remember." He agreed. "But I think you have to wait to get one of your own. If you want, my dad can…"

"No!" Zim said quickly. "I mean…I don't want to ask that. It's no big deal. I have a house phone."

_That was stupid. Another lie. Can't build relationships with lies._

Zim shook the thoughts away. "How much longer should we wait?"

Dib looked at his watch. "It's ten minutes til 8 now." He informed. "I say we give up and go home. Maybe he wasn't ready to meet me."

"He said it was fine." Zim insisted. "I'm sure something just came up and I'll see him in our usual spot later."

"Okay." Dib nodded. "Hey, you said you don't mind meeting mine, right?"

"Right." Zim nodded.

"How about tomorrow then? Next Saturday? Same place and time?" Dib asked.

"That works for me."

"I'll let him know tomorrow then. I'll hang with him tomorrow night."

"Alright." Zim nodded. "Come on, let's get out of here. It's boring."

"I agree." Dib wrapped an arm around Zim's shoulders and they walked off in sync.


	40. The Revealing

Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! And welcome to my last update of 2010/first update of 2011. It depends on when you're reading. (Blows horn thing anyway) I was going to go back and fix a couple things from the last chapter. It made sense at the time, but their plans were weird. But I decided not to, because I can see Dib and Zim being that dense, really. So, anyway, enough of that. But here's the chapter you've all been waiting for! (I think you could tell why by the title, right? If not, you'll know by the end) This is NOT the last chapter. I have another couple left to do to set up things for the sequel. I'm gonna have a preview in this after it's finished.

Nbld: Enough rambling! Thank you to Silver Night Stalker, ecrounox, Invader LACE ZaLr, Shar're from Abydos, xX Eternal Promise, suckishLEMONADE, XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX, -Sonny. With..-, Invader Ang, and Mio-chan is up pas hur bedteim for reviewing! Planks to smack Dib and Zim with for being oblivious morons for everyone!

Silver Night Stalker: OMG that is awesome. The revealing is actually a bit of a surprise. I was tossing around the idea of Dib accidentally saying "Iz" while he and Zim were going at it, but I came up with this instead. Bad ungodly image! Bad! (Smacks it with a rolling pin)

Ecrounox: No need to feel like a stalker. My friend who reviewed every single chapter of my other multichapter fic first should feel like a stalker. Zim and Dib's stupidity is an attempt at comic relief. And it's fun to torture them. ;)

Invader LACE ZaLr: You felt that right! (I did NOT mean that how it sounded!)

Shar're from Abydos: Yes, easy is too easy sometimes with these two. Then again, Zim wouldn't be Zim without the usual obliviousness.

xX Eternal Promise: XD

suckishLEMONADE: It doesn't really have to be legal. It's your gift; you can do whatever you want with it! XD. Zim didn't go to Skool before this, so he is kind of uneducated, lol.

XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX: Because Keef is a creepy stalker who is obsessed with Zim. Logic doesn't work with him for some reason. Lust, mostly, controls him. But Keef will find release in the sequel…maybe. I'm still trying to figure out if I want him to get with someone or not.

.-: Zim and Dib are being stupid, as per usual. Happy to know I can keep people up past their bedtimes with updates! I should have been asleep when I posted this, but I'm off from skool for the next couple weeks, so I'm getting the staying up late out of my system over now.

Invader Ang: Aw, thank you! Zim and Dib aren't logical, I guess. Lust is clouding their minds right now. :P My nephew lives in Colorado. I haven't seen him in years though.

Mio-chan is up pas hur bedteim: OMG I almost forgot about Marik. It's been so long since I've seen Yugioh. Though I have the VHS tapes right next to me and I'm just too lazy to pop one in the VCR. Yes, I still own a VCR XD. Don't let your hair get out of control. My friend did and now she's paying for it. Lol. Yay for voices in the head! (Voices In My Head by Stephen Lynch should start playing right about now.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Krill who has gone missing, the plot, and The Mask. Invader Zim and all related things belong to Jhonen C. Vasquez. I make no money off of this, but you know that by now. Right? (Antennae droop)

000

Zim sat on a barstool inside The Mask the following night. Moth wasn't around, which would have been a good thing if Zim wasn't determined to talk to him. Zim felt a tap on his shoulder and turned. The culprit himself stood behind him.

"Where were you?" Zim wondered.

"Sorry." Moth said. "My boyfriend wanted me to meet his club boyfriend first, so I figured it was no big deal if I met him for a little bit. The guy never showed up."

"Funny. Cause my boyfriend and I waited for _you_ for an hour." Zim tilted his head to the side. 'If you were there, why didn't I see you?"

"I wasn't wearing my mask." Moth said. "Look, I'm really sorry. I'll make it up to you."

"No." Zim shook his head. "It's over and done with, no way to change it now. How about instead of meeting him in person, you give him a call?"

"Sure. What's his number?"

Zim blinked. "I don't know it. I'll ask him Monday and give it to you the next time I see you here."

Moth nodded. "Sounds like a plan." He kissed Zim's cheek. "I'm really sorry I didn't show up for you."

"Whatever." Zim snorted with a small smile.

"Seriously, let me make it up to you." Moth stood. "Let's go to a private room."

Zim flushed. "I thought you didn't want to be anything too close until you checked with your boyfriend." He said. "Did you ask him if he minded already?"

"It's nothing like _that_." Moth flushed. "I want to show you who I am, okay?"

"What?"

Before Moth answered, he whisked Zim off of his barstool and kissed his cheek. "I want you to know who I really am, okay?"

"Uh…okay…" Zim paused. "I'll show you who I am too, then."

Moth nodded. "Okay. Fine." He said. "Let's go."

They walked to the hallway that was roped off with guards behind it and flashed their passes. The guards let them through and handed them a key with a '3' on it in bright, glow-in-the-dark paint. Zim took it and they both muttered a thanks before going to the room labeled three in the same color paint. Zim, being the last one in, shut the door behind him and locked it. when he turned, moth was sitting on the bed.

"Okay, so how do we do this?" Zim asked.

"Sit." Moth motioned to the bed and Zim sat down. "How about we close our eyes and take off the masks and then count to three and open our eyes at the same time?"

"You put a lot of thought into this, didn't you?" Zim giggled. "Okay, then. Let's do this."

Zim watched Moth close his eyes and reach to the back of his head, where the mask was tied. Zim closed his eyes and untied his with shaking fingers. Once it was free, he spoke. "I'm ready." He said.

"Me too." Moth agreed. "Leave the amplifiers in until we see who we are, okay?"

"Okay." Zim nodded, though he knew Moth couldn't see it with his eyes closed.

"Alright." Moth sighed. "One."

"Two." Zim went on.

"Three." They said as one.

Zim didn't open his eyes. "Your eyes open?"

"No." Moth shook his head. "I'm nervous." He laughed.

"Yeah, I am too." Zim said. "Okay, so how about one of us open our eyes and then the other one does?"

"Okay. You go first, since I stood you up last night."

"Okay." Zim sighed deeply and slowly let his eyes open.

What he saw surprised him. Moth was…_Dib_? Zim couldn't help but giggle, which turned into full blown laughter. How could he have _not_ figured that out? It was ridiculous! The reason Moth hadn't shown up to meet him was because he was standing next to him the whole time! It made _perfect_ sense. God, he felt like such a moron!

"Well…that's not the response I expected." Moth muttered. "I'm embarrassed now."

"Don't be." Zim tried to hide his giggles. "I'm just surprised it's you."

"Yeah, I know, since you probably know who my boyfriend is by now."

"Yeah, I know Zim." Zim giggled again.

Moth sighed. "Should I open my eyes now?"

"Hold on." Zim responded. He slid closer to Moth…er…_Dib_…and grasped his chin in his hands. Zim pulled him close and met their lips.

Dib protested. "Wait, Iz!" He argued, pulling away. "I told you I have to check with Zim first!"

"I'm sure he won't mind."

"I'm sure he'll mind plenty."

"Dib…" Zim paused. "Open your eyes."

Dib opened one eye. He fell backwards when he saw his boyfriend sitting next to him. "Holy shit!" He cursed.

Zim burst into laughter at that. "I didn't know you had a mouth like that on you!" He said between laughs.

"It's…it's you!" Dib slapped his forehead. "How the hell could I have been so _dumb_?" He wondered. "I made plans with you to meet _myself_? What the hell?" He laughed as well.

Zim pulled Dib back up to a sitting position and pulled him in for a deep kiss. Dib wrapped his arms around Zim's waist and pulled him onto his lap. They separated after a bit of action involving their tongues.

"I feel like a dumbass." Zim reached to his neck and pulled out his amplifier.

"Yeah," Dib followed suit and removed his amplifier. His voice went back to its normal pitch somewhere between 'ye' and 'ah', making Zim giggle. "I do too."

"So…you wanna just go?" Zim wondered. "I mean, my house is empty and we can talk there instead."

"We can go to my house. I was talking to my dad earlier and he wants to talk to you about something. Something about not hurting me or something overprotective like that."

Zim laughed. "Okay." He agreed. They put their masks back on and tucked the amplifiers into their pockets and left the room.

The guard on the left smiled at them. "You weren't in there long." He informed.

Zim shrugged.

"I got a call to go home." Dib said, trying to make his voice deeper. "Blows."

"Yeah, a lot." The guard on the right nodded and took their key.

Zim and Dib bid their goodbyes and left. They spilled out the door and into the streets, tripping over each other's feet and laughing at how stupid they each were.

000

When Dib pushed open the front door to his home, he was surprised to see his father sitting on the couch in front of the TV. The TV was off, however, and the older Membrane was reading his newspaper with a cup of coffee in hand.

"Ahem." Dib cleared his throat. "I'm home."

"Oh, hello, son." Membrane responded, not looking over his paper.

"Zim's with me." Dib said.

Membrane let the top of his paper flopped forward. For once, the scientist had his goggles off, and his honey brown eyes were visible. Dib was caught a little off guard. Membrane never had his goggles off. Dib had almost forgotten what color eyes his dad really had. Dib wondered why Membrane had his goggles off.

"You wanted to talk…to him…?" Dib wondered.

"Ah, yes. Could you go upstairs for a bit, son?" Membrane asked, folding his paper. "Zim, a word in the kitchen please."

"Uh…" Zim paused. "Sure." What in the world could the man want that couldn't be said in front of Dib?

Dib nodded and kissed Zim's cheek before racing up the stairs. Zim followed Membrane into the kitchen.

"Can I offer you a cup of coffee?" Membrane asked.

"Oh, no thank you." Zim shook his head.

"I insist." Membrane argued.

"I don't drink coffee."

Before Zim could argue anymore, a cup of hot coffee was thrust into his hands. "Professor…"

"Now, have a seat. I think we need to talk about your current living situation."

"It's nothing to worry about." Zim started to argue, but a look from the man made him shut up and sit down.

"Now, now, don't give me that." Membrane said. "You're 16, correct?"

_14._ "Yeah." _Liar_.

"And you're not considered as an adult until age 18, right?"

"Yes…" Zim knew where he was going with this. It was going to be a battle of wits. One that, hopefully, Zim would win.

"And you can't live alone until you're an adult, right?"

"Yes."

"Then isn't it to safe that since you're _not_ underage then, using the inverse relationship theory, then you are _not_ allowed to live alone?"

"Well…_yes_. I suppose…" Zim paused. "But what about extenuating circumstances?" He wondered. "It's not like my family's around, so I don't really have anywhere to go."

"I've told you before that you can stay here."

"I wouldn't want to be a burden."

"Nonsense." Membrane took a sip from his coffee.

Zim used the chance that Membrane's lack of attention permitted and threw his coffee into a conveniently placed plant. He looked back at Membrane once the cup was empty. Membrane slowly set his cup down. He seemed to have missed Zim dumping out the coffee.

"You are friends with my daughter, no?" He wondered. "And if I'm not mistaken, you and Dib are…_close_…I suppose is the best word for it."

"We're dating." Zim corrected quietly.

"I suppose that's more appropriate." Membrane chuckled. "So it would be no problem if you were to move in. We have a spare guest room, you know. It's not like we're lacking in room."

"Well, yes, but…" Zim paused. "How do I explain this…?" He thought for a moment. "Where I'm from, my people don't exactly accept help. Even if we need it." He said. "Besides, I moved into my mom's house and I never left. I wouldn't want to do the same here."

"What do you mean, 'moved into my mom's house'?" Membrane arched an eyebrow. "Are your parents divorced?"

"I'm an orphan, really." Zim flushed. "My mother found me in the streets when I was four and took me in." He explained. "They're not my birth parents, but they're all I have."

Zim realized how much he must have hurt his family by leaving. His mom and dad had welcomed him into their house with open arms, as had Red and Purple, and Zim just ditched them like it meant nothing to him. It meant everything to him, he knew that in his squeedly spooch, but he didn't know if his parents knew that. It was stupid to think they didn't, but Zim couldn't help it. He hated looking at the bad side of things all the time, but he was a rational person. He tended to look at both the bad and the good. Though he didn't see what _good_ could have come out of his boneheaded decision. It wasn't that he couldn't go back and beg for forgiveness, but he was too proud to do that. What he told the Professor was true. Irkens were a proud people, and they didn't accept help. Technically he had accepted help when his mom took him in, but he'd only been a smeet then. It didn't count.

"I see." Membrane nodded. "Well, you accepted help then, no?"

"I was just a kid." Zim shook his head. "I didn't have much of a choice where to go, and it doesn't count anyway."

Membrane sighed and shook his head. "I really insist on you staying here."

"No thank you." Zim said. "I'd really feel like a burden if I stayed here."

Membrane sighed. "I don't think it's your people that are stubborn, Zim." He informed. "I think it's teenagers altogether." He chuckled. "Are you _really_ sure you wouldn't stay? I could give you a day or so to think it over. Let me know your final answer on Tuesday."

"Sorry, sir, but my final answer is no…"

"Wait and see if you feel the same was on Tuesday." Membrane urged. He checked the clock on the wall. "I have to get back to work, but I'll be waiting here for you after school ends on Tuesday, okay?" He stood. "Do help yourself to some SUPERTOAST!" He struck a pose before simply exiting the kitchen.

Zim did a double take. Dib's father was sure…interesting…


	41. 14 Year Old Alien Prince In Hiding

Dlbn: Hey there everyone! Only one more chapter to go after this and then Iz Moth will officially be completed! (Throws confetti) And yes, the sequel will come after this at some point. I want to finish my "Hell Is for High School" fanfic before I put it out. But the preview will come after this is finished. I can't believe this is almost over! (Cries)

Nbld: While she completely loses what's left of her sanity over there, let's get moving. Thank you to –.-, Silver Night Stalker, Invader LACE ZaLr, suckishLEMONADE, Shar're from Abydos, ecrounox, xX Eternal Promise, Invader Ang, XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX, and zimmyvsdibbeh for reviewing! Zim and Dib lamps for all!

SonnyWithAFirefly: Thank you! The excitement continues…? Lol

Silver Night Stalker: You're welcome! Beating images away with rolling pins and other items is my specialty! If Mpreg does show up, which it most likely will, it won't be until the sequel.

Invader LACE ZaLr: Yeah, being in love that would explain it. They might be idiots in love, too…

suckishLEMONADE: Happy New Year! (Late New Year by this point) Yes, they are cute, aren't they? ^^

Shar're from Abydos: Thank you! I admit, there was more that could have been done with that part, but it just didn't want to come out at the time.

Ecrounox: Zim fears the water balloons…at least, he will when he faces rain for the first time here!

xX Eternal promise: He's not my favorite character either. Messing with him is just plain funny, though.

Invader Ang: If Zim were to move in with the Membranes, not only would the sexytiems continue, but they would continue more often.

XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX: Yes, peace reigns down on the universe and the filthy humans once more. Maybe Zim and Dib's love will somehow reach Zim's family and stop the war.

Zimmyvsdibbeh: I know you reviewed chapter four, but I just got it now, so I figured I can respond here, too. Zim can be girly at times in this, but then again Dib can be too. Popular Dib is always a fascinating and strange thing, isn't it?

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from Invader Zim, I do NOT own. Krill, The Mask, and the plot are mine. But that is all.

000

Dib was sitting at his computer playing minesweeper when Zim opened the door and walked in. Dib cocked a smile at Zim before quickly going back to his game.

"So what did my dad want?" Dib asked.

"He asked me to move in here." Zim said. He sighed. "Again."

"Uh…you're _my_ boyfriend, last I knew, not his." Dib informed. "Isn't asking you to move in with me _my_ job?"

Zim laughed. "Not if you didn't know he was going to do that. Again." Zim sat on Dib's bed and crossed his legs. "He really doesn't like the idea of me living on my own, for some reason. I'm doing fine."

"We're all worried about you." Dib said. He turned to Zim and moved the chair to the bed with his foot. "I know you say you're going to be okay on your own, and I believe you about it, I just…" Dib paused. "I mean, you _are_ just 16…"

"14."

"Huh?"

"I'm…14…Dib." Zim informed, gulping. The tone of Dib's voice suggested he didn't like hearing that.

"You…you are?" Dib cocked an eyebrow. "Well…you sure are advanced for your age." Dib blushed, looking away.

"Sorry." Zim muttered. "I should have told you before we did it, but I…I don't know."

"You could have at least told Moth first." Dib laughed. "Last I checked, he slept with Iz long before you and I slept together."

"Alright, alright, let's not make fun of our own stupidity." Zim waved his hand at that.

Dib kissed him on the 'nose'. "Whatever you say." He paused. "Iz."

"Shut up." Zim shoved him, making his chair wheel back towards the desk.

Dib laughed as he moved, before stopping himself with a hand on his computer table. "Make me."

"I train monkeys, Dib. I don't make them."

"Oh, so going back to the evolutionary theory, are we?"

"The what?" Zim laughed.

"Evolutionary theory?" Dib asked. "The theory that humans evolved from monkeys? The church looked down on it and it was banned in schools? I think churches still look down on it."

"Oh…" Zim paused. "Yes, of course I knew that." Zim waved his hand. "I was just testing you."

"Sure you were." Dib opened one eye wider then the other. "You uh…don't take this the wrong way, but…you don't seem to recognize a lot of basic stuff that me and the others know…"

"I was homeschooled." Zim shrugged. "I learned science, math, politics, and business. I didn't need to know anything else."

"So you didn't learn English, history, art, physical education, music…?" Dib paused. "How can you be homeschooled and not know any of that?"

"Well…I _speak_ English, so why take it as a class?" Zim wondered. "And when am I ever going to use music or art, anyway? As for history, There's only a few things I really needed to know. And physical education…I guess sparring and martial arts counts, but…why does it matter, anyway?"

"Curiosity?" Dib asked a question of his own. "I'm just wondering why you question what so many things are."

Zim shrugged. "And how am I supposed to _not_ take offense to this?"

"I'm not calling you dumb or anything, because I know you aren't. Not in the slightest. But if people realize that you question everything, they're going to ask questions themselves."

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Zim sighed. "I don't know. I just ask questions a lot if I don't catch what someone said."

"Okay." Dib smiled.

Zim gave a small smile back. "I'm still a little offended, though."

Dib rolled back over and cupped Zim's face in his hands. "I love you." He said, kissing Zim.

Zim leaned into the kiss until the bedroom door opened.

"Go, boys, go!" Gaz whistled.

Dib pulled back and glared at her. "Don't you _knock_?"

"I'm ordering a pizza." She said. "What do you want on it?"

"Pepperoni." Dib looked at Zim. "You?"

"Uh…none for me, thanks."

Gaz raised an eyebrow. "Half pepperoni and half plain." She left. "Lock your damn door, Dib!"

Zim had to laugh at that.

"So…can I ask another question?"

"…Yes?"

"Do you eat at all?" Dib wondered. "I mean, every time we offer food, you say no."

"I just don't want to eat all your food." Zim laughed. "Yes, I eat." His squeedly-spooch took that moment to make its presence known for once, making a noise that resembled a growling stomach.

"You're hungry." Dib observed.

"I think it's just gas."

"Sure." Dib laughed. "Look, it's not really my business why you don't eat, but I just kind of wanna know." Dib said. "I mean, if it's something we can help with, then…"

"I don't know what's safe for me to eat." Zim blurted.

"Huh?" Dib asked. "You have food allergies or something?"

"Yeah." Zim nodded. "I know, I should know what Earth foods I can and can't eat, but I don't."

"Earth foods?"

"Uh…" Well, there was no real way to explain that. _Congratulations, Zim, you just screwed yourself over! You might as well have just taken off your disguise and shouted 'I'm an alien' through a megaphone!_

"Why did you say 'Earth foods'?"

"Uh…" How could he lie out of this one? Zim sighed. "Look, Dib…I can't lie to you." He paused again. "I'm…not from around here."

"So?"

"I mean really…not from _around_ here." Zim arched and lowered his eyebrows twice.

Dib still looked confused.

Zim pointed up.

Dib looked at the ceiling. "Are you trying to tell me you're an angel? Because I'll tell you right now that I wouldn't believe that."

"No!" Zim sighed and flopped back. "Slerek, why can't I just say it?"

"Say what? And what does Slerek mean?"

"It's my people's term that means 'god'."

"What language is that?"

"Irken."

"What the hell is…oh…up _there_."

"Yeah." Zim sat up. "Look, I…"

"Are you trying to tell me you're not from Earth, period?" Dib wondered.

"No."

Dib stood and walked over to his closet. He put his hand on a pad above the doorknob and the doors flashed before vanishing. Inside, in addition to Dib's clothes, were all sorts of posters and action-figures of aliens. Zim cocked an eyebrow and joined Dib.

"What…what _is _all of this?" Zim wondered.

"I used to be really big with the paranormal. Aliens, mostly." Dib informed. "My dad never really approved, so I got out of it…a little. I still kept my stuff."

"So what are you trying to tell me, Dib?" Zim asked, digging the toe of his left shoe into Dib's carpet.

Dib turned and kissed him, pulling Zim close by the waist. "I don't care."

"Huh?"

"You being an alien. If you were afraid to tell me, I just wanted you to know that I don't care about it."

"O-oh." Zim paused. "It looks like me being 14 was worse then me being an alien, huh?"

Dib laughed. "I guess so. I mean, I have no problem with your age…other then the fact that you and me sleeping together is illegal."

"It is?"

"How can you not know…oh…right…" Dib flushed. "It's rape if you're under 17."

"You're under 17, too."

"I won't be in June." Dib shook his head. "But that's beside the point."

"Oh…cause where I'm from…I'm an adult."

"At 14?"

Zim nodded. "It's strange, I know." He responded. "We're a militaristic people, so we need people for our army. The younger the person, the longer they can be a soldier. So in my culture, being 14 means you're an adult so you can join the military, once trained."

"That's…interesting…" Dib paused. "Teach me something else."

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know." Dib shrugged. "How about your leaders? Let me guess."

"Uh…"

"You're a militaristic people you said, right?"

"Yeah."

"So then…your leaders are in charge of your military? So they're generals?"

"Well…mom and dad are in charge of the military, so I guess you're right."

"It was a bit of common sense…wait, what?"

"Huh?"

"Mom and dad? You're a _prince_?"

"Yeah…"

"So you're a 14 year old alien…"

"Irken."

"14 year old Irken prince…and you kept this all secret?"

"Well…yeah."

Dib laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"Well, I get not being able to realize that you and I are Iz and Moth. I chalk that up to pure stupidity." Dib shook his head. "But I don't get how you were able to hide all of _this_ so easily."

"Humans are gullible, I suppose." Zim laughed. "I _do_ look human, don't I?"

"Yeah." Dib laughed. "Could I…?"

"Yes?"

"Could I see what you look like without your disguise on?"

"Without it?" Zim arched an eyebrow. "Um…I don't know about that…"

"It's not like I'm gonna turn you over to authorities or try to dissect you myself." Dib laughed. "I love you too much to do that."

Zim blushed heavily. "I know you do." He sighed. "What is Gaz comes in?"

"I'm gonna take her advice." Dib walked to his bedroom door and locked it. "There you go."

Zim laughed. "Okay."

"So can I see you?"

Zim sighed. "Do you promise you won't do anything?"

Dib walked over and kissed Zim. "I promise I won't." He said. "This is like a dream come true, you know. Meeting a real alien. A _real_ one. Not the people dressed in costumes at that game convention Gaz dragged me to. They were way into their costumes, I swear. One of them was talking to me in another language. Gaz said it was probably Japanese, but I doubt it."

"You're rambling, Dib." Zim laughed, reaching for his hologram watch. "Now, are you _sure_ you want to see me?"

"Yea, I am." Dib agreed. "I swear on my life that it doesn't matter to me."

Zim sighed and closed his eyes. He pressed a button on his hologram watch and shut it off. Dib didn't say anything and Zim feared that it didn't work. When he opened one eye, Dib was looking him over.

"You look different then I imagined." Dib said.

Zim opened the other eye. "How so?"

Dib nodded towards his collection. "Grey skin, beady eyes…I kind of figured you'd look like that."

"Newsflash, Dib." Zim laughed. "I know a lot of species out there, but none of them look like that. I don't think that ever existed."

"Yeah, I figured that most of this stuff was crap." Dib laughed. "It's fun to think about, though."

"I guess." Zim shrugged. "I don't do much for imagining. I go off blueprints."

"Blueprints?" Dib wondered. "Life doesn't come with those."

Zim shrugged. "So anyway…what do you think?"

"About you?" Dib wondered. "It's a shock…but…amazing, anyway." Dib laughed. "I mean, real living proof of extraterrestrial life is standing in my bedroom and it's you."

"What does that mean?" Zim's right antenna twitched.

"You're amazing." Dib pulled Zim close. "I don't know what else to say."

"So…this doesn't change anything with us?"

"Of course not." Dib responded with a slight shrug. "You being an alien…holy crap." He laughed.

Zim couldn't help but laugh, as well. Dib seemed so…happy…compared to when they first met.

"Thanks, I think."

"I just realized that your mask matches your eyes."

"And I think you have an obsession with blue."

Dib laughed. "Okay, I guess so."

"You know I am." Zim kissed Dib's bottom lip and flipped his hologram back on. "I'm still a little uncomfortable with it off." He informed as his skin became peach again.

"Oh, it's fine." Dib responded. "Either way, you're hot."

Zim laughed. "You are _so_ cheesy."

"No." Dib shook his head. "My next question is cheesy."

"What is that?"

"Will you move in with me?"


	42. Closing But Not The End

Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! After having seen Black Swan in theatres (GO SEE IT!) and listening to youtube videos, (specifically one with the song "Gravity" by Vienna Teng), It's time for the final installment of Iz Moth! Time to wrap up, answer any questions left, and hopefully inject a bit of humor and not get too sappy at the end.

Nbld: So we'll skip all the sap now and say thank you to the following people for reviewing! Thank you to Invader LACE ZaLr, ecrounox, Invader Ang, Silver Night Stalker, joy2theworlddannyphantom, Mio-chan is ANGERED wtf, Servant of Time, morgana starfire, XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX, Moth Mask, and Dadles for reviewing! (Hands out slices of a large cake labeled 'THE END'. It's magic cake! It automatically becomes whatever flavor you want!)

Dlbn: There will be one more chapter after this with a preview. I'll answer any questions from this chapter in there, with a review corner like this. Anyway, I'd better get to work on the preview, so let's do our Review Corner Q and A and then go to the chapter, no?

Invader LACE ZaLr: Zim ain't gunna get what, now? Lol. This chapter probably turns up how everyone guesses it will. ;)

Ecrounox: I'm glad that a sequel will help keep you sane. It's gonna keep me sane, too. I have a fic I have to write for my friend's birthday, so that will be done first, and then the last couple chapters of another story of mine. But then the sequel will be up!

Invader Ang: I actually toyed with the idea of Dib fainting upon discovering that Zim is an alien, but I figured Zim would be all confused about what to do and have to get Gaz, and then she'd know…so yeah…The sequel will probably have more smexytime in it, but those scenes will have to be posted on adultfanfic in an uncensored version. Don't want to anger the fanfic gods or whoever it is that deletes 'inappropriate' stories. Do they still do that anymore? Weird. I went back and checked the Zim being 16 stuff. I found a few of them, so I'll go back and fix them after I update. No, I didn't realize there was no number four. I went back and looked. XD And I feel very honored that you have chosen to favorite me and Iz Moth! HONORED! (Throws you a meat slab covered in BBQ sauce)

Silver Night Stalker: Irken test tube babies! Let's be honest, they are technically test tube babies. Mutant Ninja Aliens from SPACE would be an epic title. But alas, it isn't it. The title's gonna be as weird as this one, but a bit different. And no, it won't be "Moth Iz". I think their clubbing days as Moth and Iz are over.

Joy2theworlddannyphantom: 3 3 hearts right back! Hope that shows up?

Mio-chan is ANGERED wtf: I'm glad your hair isn't too mad now. And yes, I really don't like the YugiohGX or G5 or whatever it is. It makes no sense to me. Me and my friends were just rambling about that the other day. No offense to anyone who likes it, of course. I just rpefer the Yugioh I grew up with.

Servant of Time: When/if Zim's parents find him (Can't give that away) Red and Purple will definitely tease Zim. Then Zim will say something Zim-like and creepy about his and Dib's sex lives and then Red and Purple will go off to puke or something. But not on the nachos!

Morgana starfire: It's been a long time coming, no?

XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX: Sorry to hear that your cheeks hurt from smiling. (Hands you Gir shaped ice packs). But at least it's from smiling and not something like Bludgeon Ball :D

Moth mask: Cheesy romance is what Dib and Zim do best. XD

Dadles: I tend to leave cliffhangers a lot, I notice. I'm annoying that way XD. I'll respond to the rest of your reviews in a review reply/pm thing! Glad to hear you're enjoying! ^^

Disclaimer: I own nothing outside of Krill (Who will be mentioned in this fic once more, but not again until the sequel), the Mask, and the plot. Invader Zim, and all related characters, places, logos, items, species, etc belong to Jhonen. C Vasquez. I make no money from this.

000

Zim sighed, looking around his living room. The decision he'd made the night before was going to change everything. There was no going back after this. Zim looked down at the robotic head and half of a robotic body at his feet. He wasn't going to be able to finish this…er…Sir unit…anytime soon. That wasn't to say that he was going to STOP working on it. He'd get around to it when he had the time. After school and every other weekend…between 6 and 8 on Sundays because, he had to face it, he'd have to rest from a week and a Saturday of juggling Dib, his friends from Skool, and miscellaneous videogame marathons that Gaz would force him to participate in. She had said that the day before, that being around all the time meant he'd get into videogames if it killed him. He was from a world built on the military, science, technology, and assorted goods that they took from other planets and claimed as their own. The Vortians were never happy with that.

But it wasn't going to be bad. He could hardly wait for the next chapter in his life to begin. His ship was going to be well taken care of, between him and Dib. Dib hadn't asked much about the Irkens, much to Zim's relief. It was only a matter of time before his paranormal obsession came to the surface and had to be sedated again.

Zim took one more look around his base. "Goodbye, base." He said, walking outside.

Arms wrapped around his neck as Zim stood in the street and watched his base go back into the little drill that he had used to make it. No one seemed to notice as the Earth rumbled slightly. All that was left there was his Voot and the drill.

"Ready to go home, now?" Dib asked, kissing Zim's neck.

"Yeah, I guess." Zim sighed. "I'm gonna miss that place…that empty…_empty_ place." Everything he had been keeping in the house for himself was packed in three suitcases inside his ship's cargo hold.

"I know." Dib said softly. "But you're not gonna be home alone anymore." Dib smirked. "I mean, I don't have to go off to The Mask to see Iz anymore."

Zim glared at him. "Funny." He said.

Dib laughed. "I know." He responded.

"Of course, if you miss Iz…I still have my amplifier and my mask."

Dib blushed, laughing. "I still have my stuff, too." He said. "There's no reason we can't go to the Mask together. We could be a pair."

"Pair?"

"People who date outside and inside the club." Dib offered. "I _really_ need to teach you some of the lingo they use at The Mask…"

"Yeah, I'm a dumb fourteen year old kid. I know."

"You're not dumb. And you're definitely not a kid. No _kid_ would know how to do half the things you do when we…"

"Okay, let's not speak that out loud in case anyone is listening!" Zim shushed him with a hand over his mouth. "You know…its night time."

"So?"

"How about a ride?"

"Ride?"

"In my ship." Zim nodded, already dragging Dib over to it.

"Uh…I don't do so well in flying objects." Dib objected. "I get airsick."

"Air…sick?" Zim's antennae cocked up under his hologram.

"When flying makes you nauseas and you throw up?"

"We don't have a word for that home." Zim said. "Everyone flies everywhere."

"Really?"Dib cocked an eyebrow. "Interesting."

Zim nodded. He opened the hatch to his ship and put his hands down for Dib to step on. After hoisting Dib up into the cockpit, Zim climbed up and sat in the pilot's seat.

"You'll be fine." Zim said. "The G-Force compensators should help with the nausea."

"Are you sure?"

"Very." Zim shut the hatch with a press of a button and a click. He started the ship up and it began hovering slightly off the ground, soundless.

"Zim…I don't know…"

"Relax."Zim pressed a few buttons and pulled a lever, making the ship rise up higher until it was above the rooftops. "I know what I'm doing." He smirked and made the ship move a little. "I won't do anything really showoff-y, so don't worry about tricks and flips."

"Thanks." Dib looked out the window at the starry sky. "This actually isn't bad. It's…pretty."

Zim smiled. This was nothing new to him. They were still in the atmosphere anyway. "If you think it's nice here, wait until we go out."

"Out?"

Zim jerked the controls foreword and the ship quickly shot up.

"Zim!" Dib was jerked around a little bit, before he found what appeared to be a seatbelt. "Is this a seatbelt?"

"Yeah." Zim nodded.

Dib buckled himself in, missing the locking mechanism a few times before finally getting settled.

"Warn me next time!" He lightly slapped Zim's shoulder. "I might have thrown up all over you!"

"But you didn't, did you?" Zim laughed.

Dib raised an eyebrow. "I guess not. How much longer until you stop?"

"Approximately…" Zim looked at a number next to his controls. "One minute."

"Warn me when you stop."

"It will be gradual. I won't slam on the brakes. That would hurt me, too, you know."

Dib looked him over. "You're not buckled in."

"I normally don't."

"Isn't that…not safe…?"

"I've never had a problem." Zim shook his head.

The ship slowly stopped. "Take a look outside." Zim ordered.

Dib looked out the windshield. His jaw dropped. "Oh my God…that's…_Earth_!"

Zim nodded. "Yeah." He said. "That's what your home looks like."

Dib unbuckled himself slowly and leaned forward. "Wow…so _this_ is what you saw when you first came here."

Zim nodded. "Uh huh." This wasn't really fascinating to him. Sure, it was different stars then he was used to seeing, but it was still just space. Space didn't fascinate him anymore. He'd seen enough of it. "You want to see a sunrise?"

"Sunrise?" Dib wondered. "That would be on the other side of the planet."

The stars begun to slide past them as Zim moved his ship. "There." Zim pointed. "We're not right in front of it, so it won't kill us, but you can still see it. A sunrise from space."

Dib gaped. The sun slowly moved above what appeared to be the horizon. Even Zim was impressed. The blue spots on Earth, the oceans, were illuminated brilliantly. Zim waited a few minutes before going back to their side of the planet. "The sun would hit us if we stayed there longer." He informed. "Are you ready to go back down?"

"Go back down?" Dib asked, not really paying attention. "Hey, look!"  
Zim looked to where Dib had pointed. A comet trailed past. "Well, would you look at that?" Zim laughed. "You know…a comet like that…it's a sign of good luck."

"It is?"

"It's superstition, I know, but my mom used to tell me when I was young that shooting stars were the universe's way of letting you know that something is right."

"So…maybe it's trying to tell _us_ something."

"I think so." Zim nodded.

Dib turned back to him and kissed him. "You know…we don't have to go back yet."

"No. We don't." Zim agreed. "But we can't do much in this little thing."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"How are you sure?"

"…Experience."

Dib slapped his forehead. "I didn't need to know that."

Zim laughed. "You _asked_."

"Yeah, I know I did." Dib sighed. "So are we going to sit here and argue or are we doing something?"

Zim smirked. "We can't do _much._ I didn't say that we couldn't do _anything_."

Dib smirked. He leaned forward and met their lips.

000

Zim parked his ship safely in the Membrane's garage. It was empty, not even a car, so there was enough room for him to store it. He and Dib both jumped out.

"Are you sure it's okay?" Zim asked. "Your dad won't find it?"

"We don't use the garage." Dib responded, coming from the other side of the ship.

"Are you sure?"

"Very sure." Dib said. "I'm not gonna lie."

"Okay." Zim sighed and shut the cockpit. "I guess I'll trust you. But if he finds this, I have permission to slap you upside the head."

"Okay, okay, deal."

"Ahem." Gaz's voice called from the stairs.

Dib and Zim turned quickly to see Gaz drinking from a soda can.

"This…isn't what it looks like…?" Zim tried pathetically.

"You mean there's _not_ a spaceship in the garage?" Gaz wondered, cocking an eyebrow.

"No…there's a ship in the garage…" Dib paused. "But it's not a real ship."

"I just saw you fly it in."

"Crap." Zim rolled his eyes. "No one else could have seen, could they?"

"A "beep" filled the house when you opened the garage." Gaz informed. "Dad's security system. So his strange stalker fans can't break in through the garage…or something."

"I think that was his reasoning." Dib nodded.

"Dad won't find it, if that's what you're worried about, Zim." Gaz informed.

"And you won't tell anyone?" Zim wondered. "This should probably be kept between the three of us." He looked to Dib. "Okay? No one outside this room knows?"

"Sure." Dib nodded. "People might start asking for rides."

Zim laughed.

"Alright, fine, good." Gaz rolled her eyes. "Now get your stuff in the guest room and get your rear end into the living room. I just got Super Kicky Fighter 2. We're playing." She left without another word.

"I'd suggest listening to her." Dib informed.

"Agreed." Zim nodded.

He and Dib removed Zim's stuff from the cargo hold before exiting the garage. Zim took a look at his ship and smiled, turning the light off before leaving.

000

Zim and Dib sat on one of the picnic benches outside of the Skool the next day. Gaz was playing her Game Slave 2 as usual, and the rest of GLASS was lounging around on the picnic bench and one close to it. Dib's friends sat on the other picnic bench.

"So you moved in with the Membranes?" Keef wondered. "That's _got_ to be great for the love life." He winked at Dib.

"We sleep in different rooms, jerk." Dib rolled his eyes.

"_Sure_ you do."

"I'll vouch this once." Gaz said.

"_Thank_ you, Gaz." Zim responded.

"They go to sleep in separate rooms but 'somehow' land up in Dib's room together."

"Gaz!" Both Zim and Dib scolded her.

"I felt strange sleeping alone." Zim responded. "I went to Dib's room in the middle of the night, big deal. I slept in the chair."

"In a _chair_?" Keef mock-gasped. "Dib, that's not a very nice way to treat your boyfriend."

"Hey, he _could_ have crawled into my bed." Dib gave him a look. "But he thought that would be 'rude'."

"Your bed's not very big." Zim said, shrugging. "I would have had to squish you against the wall."

"You weren't complaining the last time."

Zim flushed. "I thought we weren't telling people that!"

The others laughed.

"We all figured you did." Torque said, nudging Dib's left leg with his foot. "You always blush when you lie."

"Good thing Zim doesn't." Gaz said. "Then you'd both be screwed."

"How can you tell when I'm lying?" Zim wondered. He knew his antennae fell flat to the back of his skull when he lied, but these guys couldn't see that.

"Your lip." Gaz informed. "It twitches, remember?"

Zim flushed. "Oh yeah." He confirmed. "I guess I should switch my tell so often that you won't catch me lying often."

"Is that a challenge?" Gaz wondered.

"You know it." Zim nodded.

"I hope you do better with this challenge then you did last night with Super Kicky Fighter 2." Dib informed. "That was painful to watch."

"Shut up!" Zim ordered, laughing.

"Uh oh, lover's quarrel." Jessica laughed.

Zim and Dib flushed.

"You can say that again." Rob nodded. "Don't get into too big of a fight, now. You two have to live with each other."

"That just makes it easier to have makeup sex!" Screamy yelled.

People started looking as the others giggled.

Zim shook his head. "You guys are all terrible, you know that?"

"I think it's just them, Zim." Gretchen informed with a grin.

That got Zim laughing. "I think so too." He looked at Keef. "You fall into the 'terrible' category too."

"Oh, thanks, buddy." Keef pretended to sulk. "I'm hurt now."

"No you're not." Melvin punched Keef's shoulder.

Keef instantly sprang up into a happy position, a thick grin plastered on his face. "I know! I was just _testing_ you!"

Dib leaned close to Zim. "I wonder who else Keef has a crush on." He raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, I guess so, too." Zim laughed.

"What were you saying about me?" Keef leaned across the table and kicked his legs up in the air.

"Nothing." Zim said quickly. "Just commenting on how…is that a new scarf?"

Keef looked down at the red scarf wrapped around his neck, even though it wasn't really cold.

"Uh huh!" He said with a grin. "I stole it from mom's closet! It's supposed to go on your jeans like a belt, but I like this better." He stood on the table. "What do you think?" Keef walked from one end of the table to the other, modeling himself.

"Oh dear Slerek no." Zim said, covering his eyes and looking away. "Put that away!"

"Come on, Keef, stop!" Dib shielded his eyes as well.

Keef swayed his hips back and forth as he walked. "I think I make a _damn_ fine model, don't I?" He complimented himself. "Maybe I should move my arms, too."

Torque threw a carton of orange juice at him. They had gotten breakfast at a place down the road from the Skool, McMeaties. Dib had covered for Zim saying he hadn't felt good and didn't want anything. Zim had tried some of Dib's breakfast burrito, though, and it didn't make him sick. Maybe he could give human food a shot. He couldn't live on nothing forever.

"Stop that!" Torque ordered.

"Come on, Keef!"

Straw wrappers and tin foil was thrown at him. Someone outside of the group hit him with a pebble. "Who threw that?" Keef wondered, rubbing his head.

A girl from Gaz's class waved, earning a glare from Gaz. She muttered an apology and ran.

"Aw man. No one enjoyed my show!" Keef pouted, sitting on the edge of the table and folding his arms.

"I did." Gretchen said softly. "You're a good model, Keef."

Keef grinned. "Maybe I can model dresses for you for prom!"

"Uh…that's okay." Gretchen said, waving her hands back and forth in a desperate plea.

The others laughed as the bell tolled.

"I don't wanna go to homeroom!" Brian whined, picking up his backpack.

"Mrs. Sunshine would kill us for skipping!" Keef said. "She'd send us to…Mrs. _Bitters_!"

The other shuddered.

"Who?" Zim wondered.

"She was out homeroom teacher. She scarred some kids for life, so they moved her into the Principal's office." Sarah informed. "She's the vice principal now. You don't want to deal with her!"

"I'll take your word for it." Zim responded.

Dib snickered and stood, pulling Zim with him.

"Race you!" Keef yelled. He ran ahead with Gretchen and Screamy at his heels.

Torque rolled his eyes and walked in with Zita. "So immature." He complained.

"Why do we hang with them?" Zita asked.

Dib put an arm on her shoulder. "Because you all _love_ me." He informed.

Zita laughed and shrugged his arm away before going with torque into the building, Brian and Jessica close behind. Sarah sighed and followed, Dirge walking next to her. Both ignored each other as they went in.

"Here we go again!" Melvin said, bouncing into the building.

Gaz rolled her eyes. "Come on, Lover-Boys." She told Zim and Dib. "Don't be late."

She walked in, playing her Gameslave. Dib looked at Zim.

"Are you ready?" He held out his hand.

Zim grasped it with his. "If you are." He responded.

They walked together, hand in hand. Seeing his new friends in front of him and his boyfriend at his side, Zim couldn't help but think that he'd finally found somewhere to really call home. He'd miss his family, but he'd go back to them eventually. He couldn't abandon the life he'd known. He was Irken. That could never change. But for now, this was the best place he could be. He was a real teenager, with real friends, and a real love-life. No guards anywhere in sight, and no Krill. Where was Krill anyway? Oh well. It didn't matter. What mattered the most were the people in front of him and the boy holding his hand.

The doors closed behind them with a soft click.

END


	43. Keefvine, A Preview of the Sequel

Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! It's the weekend and time for the preview to the Iz Moth sequel. It's been a crazy week. Finishing Iz Moth, my best friend breaking her arm in a skiing accident on her birthday and canceling her party, a HUGE snowstorm on Wednesday, and my college screwing me over. I got college fixed and the snow stopped, so I'm good for now. XD

Nbld: Okay, no one cares. Shut up. Thank you to ecrounox, kill4blood, Invader Zara, Invader LACE ZaLr, Servant of Time, Invader Ang, Invader Zara again, xX Eternal Promisee, suckishLEMONADE, MoonToy, morgana starfire, XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX, Shar're from Abydos, Dadles, and Moth Mask for reviewing the final chapter of Iz Moth! And thank you to kingdomheartsforevs for reviewing chapters 1, 2, and 7. Glomps from Zim and Dib to you all! (Dib and Zim jump out of the computers Glomp everyone)

Dlbn: Before we get to the review answers section, or whatever we called that, I'd like to thank everyone who's ever read, reviewed, favorite, alerted this story (And those favorite and alerter me because of it), or clicked it by accident for sticking with me and Iz Moth for so long. 43 chapters is long, I know, but I hope it was worth it. This is the first fanfic I finished that I think I wrote and did well, seeing as Blue Skyes Are Grey just sucks horribly and the ending for A Very Disorganized Organization Vacation was quick and stupid. It's because of all of you that I had the courage to keep going on and bring this to the end. Thank you to everyone!

(Cuts up and hands out pieces of a giant cake, and releases 392 balloons out (Because that's how many reviews Iz Moth has received).)

Disclaimer: I own Keyvine and the plot. Invader Zim and everything with it belongs to Jhonen C Vasquez. I make no money off of this. (Putting this later makes no sense, so I'll get it out of the way by plopping it here)

000

Ecrounox: I make those noises sometimes, too. People in the computer lab at school stare at me funny. I just put them down as another mark on my tally of 'people who have given me weird looks over the years'. I'll be starting to write the sequel soon, but I have to finish Hell is For High School first. Thank you for sticking with Iz Moth til the end!

Kill4blood: It should be up soon. I'm almost done with my other projects.

Invader Zara: Really? Wow, thank you! It's so cool to hear you say that! (Glomps)

Invader LACE ZaLr: I'm sure it was just the internet being stupid and deleting random words. That happens a lot. Mostly on facebook, I noticed. Yay, happy screams! (Screams back)

Servant of Time: OMG that is an awesome idea. I can SO see Red and Purple harassing Zim for being with Dib and his mom just going off on him. I just got an image of Zim hiding behind Dib like a meat shield. XD

Invader Ang: Who doesn't like meat slabs? (I don't mean that how it sounds. Lol) I went back and fixed that in the last chapter. Zim's still going to change his tell all the time so that Gaz won't figure it out, but now it establishes that she caught it. Thanks for pointing that out. I want one too. It would sure make my commute to school quicker XD. My face is happy to hear that and it offers a celebratory ham back! (Throws ham like a football) It will come soon. Within this year, promise!

xX Eternal Promisee: XD

suckishLEMONADE: I'll get it out as soon as possible. I can't wait to get started on the sequel myself.

MoonToy: Aw! Thanks for reading!

Morgana starfire: Oh there will be drama. Lots of drama. (Dramatic music plays)

XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX: Everything is definitely as it should be. Now Zim and Dib can have 'fun' more often, if you know what I mean. :X Oh Krill. How I missed him so. Oh wait, there he is. (Pulls Krill out of the OC closet) You're welcome! I'm glad I could help. :D I'm still trying to convert my friend into a Zadr fan. Maybe I should talk her into reading this, too. XD

Shar're from Abydos: The title of the sequel…shall be revealed after the review corner. I'll PM it to you too, though.

Dadles: I completely forgot that. Invader Ang pointed it out, too. I changed it so it makes sense. Thank you for reading!

Moth Mask: Thank you! I think this was one of my favorite fics to write. I'm sad I'm done with it. But there will be a sequel, so it's all good. Maybe some side stories will pop up, too.

Kingdomheartsforevs:

Chapter one: Hehe bad Zim is right, sometimes XD

Chapter two: The chapters get longer…I think…

Chapter seven: Zim is smexy in human form. No wonder Dib falls for him. XD

Dlbn: Now, for the preview you've all been wondering when the heck I was gonna post. My friend thought I was going to name it Iz Moth 2, but no. It's got a different name. So without further ado, I bring to all of you…(that rhymed hehe)

KEEFVINE

000

This new kid was fascinating. Upon his introduction to Zim and Dib's math class, he'd become popular in a manner of minutes. Even Dib's friends seemed more interested in him then anything else. Not that they really paid much attention in class anyway. Keef had taken an instant liking to him and was flirting with him when Mr. C wasn't looking. The teacher was currently lost in a rant of why graphing calculators ruined the magical wonders of joyous math. Zim wasn't giving him much attention, instead doodling while Dib slept on the desk next to him. Keyvine. Zim had overheard the boy correct their homeroom teacher for spelling his name wrong. It sure was an interesting way to spell a simple name. It seemed Irken, in a way. The bell rang and Mr. C's rant was cut short. He wished everyone a good weekend and let them leave. Dib's friends left with Keyvine, Keef hot on their trail. Zim nudged his boyfriend.

"Come on, Sleeping Beauty." He whispered. "Wake up time."

Dib moaned until Zim kissed his forehead.

"Wake up." Zim whispered again.

Dib groggily sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Sorry. Is class over?"

"Yeah." Zim nodded. "Not much sleep last night?"

"Yeah, that's _your_ fault." Dib responded, standing.

"How is it my fault?"

"_You_ wanted to sleep in my room."

"Well excuse me for wanting to be close to you." Zim rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. I'll get back at you tonight."

"I'm sure."

They linked hands and walked out into the hall. It had been major news for a week or so that they were together now that Dib was out of the closet, but the gossiping and looks had died down.

"What do you think of the new guy?" Zim asked, noticing that he and the others were at the end of the hall, talking.

"He's okay." Dib shrugged. "Keef has a crush on him. Not that that's saying much. Keef has a crush on a lot of guys."

"I noticed." Zim said. "But this is different. He doesn't even bat an eye at other people. He was swooning over Keyvine earlier, remember?"

"True." Dib nodded.

It wasn't that Keyvine wasn't good looking. He had dark blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. A silver stud graced his left earlobe. He was thin, but not sickly, and obviously had some muscles under his shirt. Not that Zim had eyes for anyone else, mind you. He loved Dib and Dib only. It was just that, well, you couldn't help but look.

Keyvine flipped his hair over his shoulder as Keef laughed. Zim could see a romance blooming as he and Dib walked up to them.

"Hey, there you two _are_!" Keef greeted. "Keyvine, this is Dib and Zim."

Keyvine looked surprised at Zim's name, but it was fleeting. He smiled. "Nice to meet you." He shrugged his shoulder to move his backpack up it and extended his hand. Dib shook it first, then Zim.

"Hey." Zim greeted with a smile. "Welcome to the Skool."

"Thanks." He smiled back.

"I was just telling him all about GLASS." Keef said with a sigh of content. "He's going to come to the next meeting! Cool, huh?"

"Yeah, cool." Dib smiled. "And before you ask, yes Zim and I are together."

"People were asking us nonstop for a week." Zim laughed.

Keyvine's smile turned into more of a grimace, but he schooled his features quickly. "That must have been annoying."

"Beyond belief." Dib laughed.

One of the teachers walked up to them. "You might want to get headed off to class." He looked away from Dib and Zim, not making eye contact.

Zim raised an eyebrow, noticing Keyvine do the same.

"He's right!" Torque said, looking at his watch. "Let's go, guys!"

The teacher nodded at them and left. The others all ran off to class. Keef stayed with Zim and Dib as Keyvine jogged after the others. He stared straight at Keyvine's rear end, not bothering to hide it.

"You want him." Zim informed.

"I do not." Keef responded.

"Sure." Dib rolled his eyes. "You're staring at his ass like a giggly skool girl." To prove his point, he pointed at one of the girls in the hall who was staring at a guy's ass as he passed her.

"He's cute, okay?" Keef sighed dreamily. "I think I'm in love!" He practically skipped down the hall, telling anyone and everyone that he was in love. He mostly earned looks or the occasional shove.

"So what do you think?" Dib wondered.

"I think Keef needs medication."

"Well, yeah." Dib laughed. "I mean about Keyvine. He seems friendly enough."

"Yeah, he does." Zim shrugged. "Until he proves otherwise, I have no reason to dislike him. He's going to be a part of the group anyway."

"Probably as Keef's boyfriend." Dib said. "I give him a week before they get together."

"I give um less then that, sorry." Zim shook his head. "We should get off to class, too. Unless we're skipping again."

Skipping classes had become a weekly thing for them. Once a week they'd pick a class and skip it.

"We haven't skipped this week, but its only Tuesday." Dib held his chin as he thought. "I guess we could skip. I'm kind of in the mood to…" He trailed and gave Zim a suggestive look.

Zim flushed. "Let's skip, then."

They walked off down the hall together.

"So have you gotten any more readings about that activity?"

"Yeah, it looks like it was nothing more than an asteroid." Zim nodded. "I'll give it another look on my Voot though, when we get home."

"It was definitely something." Dib nodded. "It's not on the news anymore. Dad called some people and had it scrapped because the Swollen Eyeballs was getting frisky."

"Frisky?"

"Dad's words. I don't understand him half of the time."

Zim couldn't help but laugh. There had to be a logical reason for Zim's scanners to go haywire. The Voot was old, sure, but it didn't malfunction. Zim upgraded and updated it quite a lot himself, and he had one hundred percent assurance that his stuff worked well. So what was it? A small asteroid was nothing to be concerned of, if it was that. Knowing that the rest of the universe was capable of space travel, Zim wouldn't be surprised if it was refugees from a conquered planet. It's not like an Invader was sent out this far. That was impossible…right…?


End file.
